Game 48 Preview: Flyers @ Penguins
Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (15-24-8) are in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday to take on Mike Sullivan's Pittsburgh Penguins (30-11-8). Game time at PPG Paints Arena is 7:00 p.m. ET (NBCSP+, 97.5 The Fanatic).
This is the third of four meetings this season between the traditonal archrivals, and the second and final game in Pittsburgh. The Flyers are 0-1-1 against the Penguins so far this season. The season series will conclude on April 24 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Since the NHL All-Star break, the Penguins are 3-0-0. The Flyers are coming off back-to-back regulation losses to the Detroit Red Wings.
The No. 1 focal point of this game will be Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby's quest for his 500th career NHL regular season goal. His next goal against the Flyers will be the 50th of his regular season career.
For the second straight game, the Flyers will have depth defensemen Nick Seeler and Kevin Connauton in the starting lineup. Morgan Frost will also return to the Flyers after spending a week back in the AHL with the Phantoms. Veteran forward Derick Brassard, who has been battling a nagging hip issue for much the season, returned to the Flyers' lineup last Wednesday against the Red Wings. He has since been sidelined again (Brassard has played one game apiece in December, January and February).
For Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin is expected to return to the lineup.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change):
FLYERS
23 Oskar Lindblom - 28 Claude Giroux - 89 Cam Atkinson 25 James van Riemsdyk - 21 Scott Laughton -11 Travis Konecny 76 Isaac Ratcliffe - 48 Morgan Frost - 71 Max Willman 76 59 Jackson Cates - 82 Connor Bunnaman - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun 6 Travis Sanheim - 24 Nick Seeler 3 Keith Yandle - 8 Kevin Connauton
79 Carter Hart [35 Martin Jones]
PP1: Giroux (left), Atkinson (right), Konecny (slot), JVR (netfront), Provorov (point). PP2: Frost (left), Laughton (right), Lindblom (slot), Ratcliffe (netfront), Yandle (point).
PENGUINS
59 Jake Guentzel - 87 Sidney Crosby - 17 Bryan Rust 23 Brock McGinn - 71 Evgeni Malkin - 42 Kasperi Kapanen 43 Danton Heinen - 77 Jeff Carter - 9 Evan Rodrigues 12 Zach Aston-Reese - 11 Brian Boyle - 49 Dominik Simon
8 Brian Dumoulin - 58 Kris Letang 28 Marcus Pettersson - 6 John Marino 5 Mike Matheson - 2 Chad Ruhwedel.
1 Casey DeSmith [35 Tristan Jarry]
PP1: Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel, Rust. PP2: Marino, Carter, Kapanen, Rodrigues and Heinen.