GAME 5: FLYERS @ FLAMES
Concluding their western Canada road trip with the second half of their first back-to-back set of the season, Alain Vigneault's Philadelphia Flyers (2-1-1) are in Alberta on Wednesday night to take on Dave Tippett's Edmonton Oilers (5-1-0). Game time at Rogers Place is 9:30 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The radio broadcast is in on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on
Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the interconference clubs. They will rematch at the Wells Fargo Center on March 20. Last season, the Flyers went 1-1-0 against the Oilers, with the home team winning both games.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers need a win in Edmonton to salvage a .500 road trip (1-1-1) before returning home to host the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Philly has trailed first in each of the last two games after not trailing at any point in the first two games of the season.
Carter Hart will get the start in goal. Entering Wednesday's game, Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, James van Riemsdyk, Shayne Gostisbehere and Travis Sanheim are among the players still looking for their first goal of the season. Kevin Hayes and Sean Couturier have scored once apiece.
Philly enjoyed a significant territorial advantage in their first two games and the third period of Saturday's game in Vancouver. On Tuesday in Calgary, the Flames by far got the better of puck possession and won more of the battles.
OILERS OUTLOOK
Edmonton rattled off five straight wins to start the season. On Monday night, the Oilers sustained a 3-1 road setback against the Chicago Blackhawks; Chicago's first win of the season.
Through six games, Connor McDavid (4g, 8a) and Leon Draisaitl (4g, 8a) have already racked up a dozen points apiece, while longtime Flyers nemesis James Neal already has eight goals (six on the power play). Mike Smith has started four games, Mikko Koskinen the other two.
PROJECTED LINES (Subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS (Tuesday's starting lines)
28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
23 Oskar Lindblom - 13 Kevin Hayes - 25 James van Riemsdyk
12 Michael Raff - 21 Scott Laughton - 93 Jakub Voracek
81 Carsen Twarynski - 82 Connor Bunnaman - 18 Tyler Pitlick
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 15 Matt Niskanen
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 8 Robert Hägg
79 Carter Hart
[37 Brian Elliott]
Power Play 1: Giroux, Couturier, Konecny, Voracek, Gostisbehere.
Power Play 2: Lindblom, Hayes, JVR, Provorov, Niskanen.
Scratches: 55 Sam Morin (healthy), 44 Chris Stewart (healthy).
Injured non-roster: 19 Nolan Patrick (migraines).
OILERS
29 Leon Draisaitl - 97 Connor McDavid - 44 Zack Kassian
92 Tomas Jurco - 93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - 18 James Neal
16 Jujhar Khaira - 23 Riley Sheahan - 15 Josh Archibald
39 Alex Chiasson - 91 Gaetan Haas - 60 Markus Granlund
25 Darnell Nurse - 74 Ethan Bear
77 Oscar Klefbom - 26 Brandon Manning
4 Kris Russell - 83 Matt Benning
41 Mike Smith
19 Mikko Koskinen
Power play 1: Draisaitl, McDavid, Neal, Klefbom, Nugent-Hopkins.
Scratches: 10 Joakim Nygård (healthy), 36 Joel Persson (healthy), 52 Patrick Russell (healthy).
Long-term injured reserve: 6 Adam Larsson (fractured right fibula).
***********
WRAPUP: FLAMES 3 - FLYERS 1
The Flyers dropped to 0-1-1 on their western Canada road trip as the fell 3-1 to the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday night. Philly trailed for 58:25 of the game as Calgary swarmed around the puck, and the Flyers did not respond well.
Michael Frolik (1st) scored just 1:35 into the game. Andrew Mangiapane (1st) added to the lead at 14:15 of the second period. Matt Niskanen (1st goal as a Flyer) scored on a delayed Calgary penalty at 4:58 of the third period. Elias Lindholm tallied an empty netter at 19:49 of the third period.
Making his first start of the 2019-20 season, Brian Elliott did his part in keeping the Flyers in the game. He stopped 35 of 37 shots, including multiple tough saves.
David Rittich flirted with a shut out for two plus periods. He finished with 21 saves on 22 shots, including three in quick succession on James van Riemsdyk in the second period. He also denied a 2-on-1 rush early in the second period.
The Flyers were called for icing 12 times during the game. Two of them ended up in the Philadelphia net after the ensuing faceoff: one goal that was disallowed, and one that counted.
Philadelphia went 0-for-4 on the power play, and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Calgary pressured the puck in all three zones, with a strong forecheck and diligent back pressure. The Flames broke out of the defensive zone effectively and defended with tight gaps most of the night. The Flyers had issues coping. By the third period, Alain Vigneault shook up the line combinations.
A weak backhanded flip by Justin Braun turned into the game's first goal, as the Flames intercepted it. Frolik fired and scored as Braun's skate got tangled up with Elliott.
Philly had several power play opportunities go by the wayside, including a 4-on-3 opportunity.
The Flyers' Sanheim took the team's 5th icing of the first period in the final 10 seconds of the period. Calgary won the draw and momentarily thought they had a 2-0 lead. However, replays showed that Sean Monahan kicked the puck in the net with a clear-cut kicking motion.
Another icing call came back to bite the Flyers -- this time with the goal counting -- at 14:15 of the second period. With tired Philly players (Scott Laughton, Tyler Pitlick, Jakub Voracek, Sanheim and Niskanen) on the ice, Calgary controlled the puck off the draw. Sanheim accidentally deflected Mangiapane's left point shot off his stick and into the net.
Early in the third period, Calgary had all the early pressure -- Elliott had to come up big several times to keep the deficit to two goals -- until Claude Giroux drew a delayed penalty on the Flames. A slick passout later from Konecny to an onrushing Niskanen over the middle, and the veteran defenseman blasted home a goal.
To a large extent, Calgary resumed dictating the majority of the play after the Niskanen goal. However, Kevin Hayes dangled and then powered the puck to the net on a tremendous solo effort for a great scoring chance. van Riemsdyk also had a final good look at the net but wasn't able to get much on his shot.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»