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Flyers Gameday: 11/9/19 @ TOR; Phantoms and Prospects Updates

November 9, 2019, 10:12 AM ET [135 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
GAME 16: FLYERS @ MAPLE LEAFS

In the front end of a weekend back-to-back set, Alain Vigneault's Philadelphia Flyers (8-5-2) are in Ontario on Saturday night to take on Mike Babcock's Toronto Maple Leafs (9-5-3). Game time at Scotiabank Arena is 7 p.m. ET.

The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast will be on 97.5 The Fanatic (or 93.3 WMMR) with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.

This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season, and the lone game in Toronto. The season series will conclude in Philadelphia on Dec. 3.

One week ago, on Nov. 2, the Maple Leafs prevailed, 3-2 (2-1), in a marathon 11-round shootout. Toronto dominated the first 10 minutes of regulation but the Flyers were the better team for the majority of the subsequent 55 minutes of regulation and overtime.

Ivan Provorov (power play, 3rd), Claude Giroux (power play, 3rd) and Travis Sanheim (1st) scored in regulation for Philly. Giroux (6th assist), Jakub Voracek (6th and 7th), Sean Couturier (6th) and Oskar Lindblom (4th) chipped in assists for the Flyers.

Kasperi Kapanen (4th), Jason Spezza (1st) and Mitch Marner (4th) tallied in regulation for Toronto. Morgan Rielly (12th), Spezza (3rd), Ilya Mikheyev (7th) and Kapanen (6th) had assists. Marner's goal in transition was unassisted.

In the shootout, neither team scored through seven rounds. In the eighth round, Travis Konecny scored through the five hole but Spezza answered. Neither team scored in round 9 or 10. In the bottom of round 11, Andreas Johnsson ended it.

Brian Elliott stopped 23 of 26 shots in regulation and overtime and then 9 of 11 in the shootout. For Toronto, Frederik Andersen denied 37 of 40 Flyers offerings in regulation and OT. He then went 10 for 11 in the shootout.

The Flyers went 2-for-6 on the power play, and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

FLYERS OUTLOOK

Saturday's game is a very important one for the Flyers for several reasons. First and foremost, the Maple Leafs are a tough opponent. The Flyers, who are 6-1-1 at home but only 2-4-1 on the road, need to follow up a successful homestand and a run of points in four straight games (3-0-1) with a road win in a tough building.

Secondly, by Sunday, there will be a fatigue factor working against the Flyers apart from the challenge of playing what has been a dominant Boston Bruins team (7-0-1 at home). The game in Toronto is the start of a road back-to-back, the second game of a three-in-four and the third game in a four-in-six set.

On Thursday, the Flyers dominated the Montreal Canadiens for most of regulation -- the Habs controlled the first five minutes but the ice was tilted in Philly's favor for about 30 of the next 35 minutes -- but needed overtime to prevail, 3-2. The Habs found a way to draw even after the Flyers had led 2-0 with a massive territorial advantage.

A Sean Couturier goal that dribbled through under Carey Price's arm after using defenseman Victor Mete as a screen ended the game at 55-seconds of OT. Phil Myers (1st) and James van Riemsdyk (4th) scored in regulation for Philly. Carter Hart stopped 22 of 24 shots to earn the win. He was very busy early, and tested multiple times and then saw hardly any rubber for long stretches.

One negative from Thursday: a heretofore red-hot Flyers power play stumbled a bit in going 0-for-6. The JVR goal was scored right after the expiration of Philly's first power play but the subsequent ones, with a chance to effectively put away the game, were momentum-stallers rather than momentum-generators. On the positive side, the Flyers themselves were not whistled for a single penalty in Thursday's game.

The Flyers made a roster move on Friday. The team returned center Mikhail Vorobyev to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, after a one-game recall. In his place, the team called up veteran forward Andy Andreoff.

Goaltending duties this weekend will be split between Hart and Elliott. The projected lineup will be updated when the starter is named. The Flyers did not practice on Friday.

Entering Saturday's tilt in Toronto, the Flyers have averaged 3.27 goals per game with allowing 3.07 per game. The power play comes in at 21.7 percent and the penalty kill at 83.7 percent. The team has won faceoffs at a 55.5 percent clip.

MAPLE LEAFS OUTLOOK

Including last Saturday's shootout in Philly, Toronto brings a three-game winning streak into this game. The team is 6-2-3 at home.

On Thursday in Toronto, the Maple Leafs earned a 2-1 overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights. The game was scoreless for two periods before Max Pacioretty put Vegas ahead early in the third period. Auston Matthews knotted the score with a power play goal (13th) four minutes later. In OT, John Tavares (4th goal) won the game for Toronto and Mitch Marner (14th) picked up the lone assist. Andersen turned back of 37 and 38.

Neither John Tavares nor Jake Muzzin were available to the Maple Leafs for last Saturday's game in Philadelphia. Both key players have since returned to the Leafs' lineup. Conversely, Zach Hyman is not quite ready to return. Spezza has returned to being a healthy scratch despite his goal, assist and shootout-extending tally in Philadelphia last weekend.

The Maple Leafs are looking to straighten out some issues on both ends of special teams. With Tavares back, the power play should get sorted out but it is just three for its last 33. The PK has yielded at least one goal in eight of the last 10 games, including two against the Flyers last Saturday.

Entering Thursday's game, the Maple Leafs have averaged 3.35 goals per game with allowing 3.12 per game. The power play comes in at 17.2 percent and the penalty kill at 77.4 percent. The team has won faceoffs at a 53.0 percent clip.

PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)

FLYERS

25 James van Riemsdyk - 28 Claude Giroux - 49 Joel Farabee
23 Oskar Lindblom - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
81 Carsen Twarynski - 13 Kevin Hayes - 92 Jakub Voracek
10 Andy Andreoff - 12 Michael Raffl - 18 Tyler Pitlick

9 Ivan Provorov - 15 Matt Niskanen
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 5 Phil Myers

37 Brian Elliott
[79 Carter Hart]

Power Play 1: Giroux, JVR, Farabee, Provorov, Voracek
Power Play 2: Couturier, Lindblom, Konecny, Gostisbehere, Niskanen

Scratches: 8 Robert Hägg (healthy), 44 Chris Stewart (healthy), 55 Sam Morin (torn ACL).
Injured reserve: 21 Scott Laughton (broken right index finger)
Injured non-roster: 19 Nolan Patrick (migraines)

MAPLE LEAFS

18 Andreas Johnsson - 34 Auston Matthews - 88 William Nylander
42 Trevor Moore - 91 John Tavares - 16 Mitch Marner
65 Ilya Mikheyev - 15 Alexander Kerfoot - 24 Kasperi Kapanen
41 Dmytro Timashov - 26 Nicolas Shore - 33 Frederik Gauthier​

44 Morgan Rielly - 83 Cody Ceci
8 Jake Muzzin - 94 Tyson Barrie
23 Travis Dermott - 3 Justin Holl ​

31 Frederik Andersen
[30 Michael Hutchinson]

Power Play 1: Johansson, Tavares, Matthews, Marner, Rielly
Power Play 2: Mikheyev, Kerfoot, Nylander, Kapanen, Barrie

Scratches: 19 Jason Spezza (healthy), 52 Martin Marincin (healthy).
Long-term injured reserve: 11 Zach Hyman (knee surgery, Apr. 29).

**********

Phantoms Preview: Nov. 9, 2019 vs. Hershey

Scott Gordon's Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-2-4) return to action on Saturday night as they host Spencer Carbery's Hershey Bears (6-5-2) at the PPL Center in Allentown. Game time is 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on Service Electric and streamed on AHL TV.

The Phantoms are coming off a 4-2 home win on Wednesday against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. The veterans led the way in this one for Lehigh Valley, with Kyle Criscuolo notching a pair of goals and, via a clean faceoff win, assisting on defenseman Andy Welinski's first goal as a Phantom. Another vet, Greg Carey, also scored for the Phantoms.

Mikhail Vorobyev, after a one-game NHL recall to the Flyers, is back with the Phantoms. The recall of Andy Andreoff on Friday at least temporarily removes the need for Lehigh Valley to rotate veteran scratches due to the league's veteran maximum rule. Second-year center Connor Bunnaman (lower-body injury) remains sidelined for the Phantoms.

Rookie center Morgan Frost (nine points in 11 games) saw his seven-game point streak come to an end on Wednesday in a rough night for him against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Saturday's game is the start of a home-and-home set for the Flyers and Bears. The two traditional archrivals will rematch at the Giant Center in Hershey on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.

**********

PROSPECTS: FRIDAY NIGHT ROUNDUP

* ECHL: The North Division leading Reading Royals (6-4-1) host the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday at Santander Arena. The game is the second half of a home-and-home set. Wheeling defeated the visiting Royals, 4-1, on Friday night. Rookie goalie Kirill Ustimenko (22 saves on 25 shots) took the loss in net for his first regulation defeat of the season. Overall, he's 3-1-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .890 save percentage. Fellow rookie Felix Sandström (3-3-0, 3.92 GAA, .871, 1 SO) is the likely starter in goal for the rematch in Reading.

* NCAA: Host team Michigan (3-4-2) and Minnesota (3-4-2) played to what is officially recorded as a 1-1 tie but won in 3-on-3 double overtime, 2-1, by the Golden Gophers. The teams will rematch on Saturday night. In Friday's game, Wolverines freshman defenseman Cam York had five shots on goal but did not get on the scoresheet. York was not on the ice for any of the goals scored, including Minnesota's double-OT winner. Minnesota freshman forward Bryce Brodzinski was minus-one on Friday.

* NCAA: Western Michigan (4-3-2) defeated visiting Ferris State (2-6-2) on Friday in the front end of a home-and-home set. Senior right winger Wade Allison returned to the Broncos lineup from an upper-body injury that forced him out of the lineup for several. On Friday, Allison had an assist and four shots. Freshman defenseman Ronnie Attard had three shots on goal, including a power play goal for his fourth tally of the young season. He was minus-one at even strength.

* NCAA: In another game featuring two Flyers prospects, host Minnesota Duluth (3-3-1) and Denver (8-0-1) played to an official 3-3 tie (shootout win, 1-0, for Denver) on Friday night. Sophomore Bulldogs left wing Noah Cates scored a goal (3rd) with just 31 seconds left in regulation to knot the score and force overtime. Freshman Pioneers winger Bobby Brink had three shots on goal but did not record a point. The two teams will rematch on Saturday.

* NCAA: Wisconsin (5-4-0) began a weekend pair in Omaha with a 5-2 win over UN-O (4-2-1) on Friday night. Badgers junior defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk chipped in a pair of assists; the first at 5-on-5 and the latter on an empty netter. He has nine points (1g, 8a) in nine games thus far. The teams rematch on Saturday night.

* NCAA: Ohio State (6-2-1) lost a 3-2 overtime decision at Notre Dame (6-0-1) on Friday. Senior Buckeyes forward Tanner Laczynski, moving over from right wing to center, and scored his second goal of the season to open the scoring. The teams rematch on Saturday.

* NCAA: North Dakota (6-1-1) dispatched visiting Miami (2-4-2) on Friday night. Sophomore left wing Gavin Hain started the game on first-line left wing for the Fighting Hawks. He did not record a shot or point. Hain has one goal (ENG) and three points through seven games. The teams will rematch on Saturday.

* NCAA: Yale dropped to 1-2-0 on the season with a 2-1 regulation loss at Colgate (6-2-1) on Friday night. Sophomore Bulldogs defenseman Jack St. Ivany had one shot on goal and was minus-one against Colgate. On Saturday, Yale visits Cornell (3-0-0).

* BCHL: The visiting Penticton Vees (17-4-1) skated to a 4-1 win on Friday over the Wenatchee Wild (11-9-2). Jay O'Brien tallied a pair of second period goals (12th and 13th of the season) and then set up a Lukas Sillinger goal in the opening 20 seconds of the final stanza. With the outcome sealed, O'Brien mixed it up with the Wild's Brian Adams in the last minute of the game. O'Brien's three-point game gives him 33 points in 22 games to date; leaguewide, he's 3rd in scoring and 4th (1.50) in points-per-game. The teams will rematch in Wenatchee on Saturday night.

* WHL: Flyers defense prospect Egor Zamula opened the scoring (6th goal of the season) midway through the first period and had five shots on goal overall but his Calgary Hitmen (9-5-2) team ultimately dropped a shootout, 4-3, to the visiting Tri-City Americans (9-6-1) on Friday night. On his goal, Zamula joined the rush as an unmarked weak-side trailer. After a cross-ice feed, Zamula was stopped on an initial left circle shot but followed up on a sharp-angle rebound to find the back of the net. For the season, the 19-year-old Russian has 17 points (6g, 11a) and is +18. Leaguewide, he is 4th in blueline scoring and leads all defensemen in the plus-minus category. Zamula has goals in back-to-back games after being held pointless in each of the three previous matches. On Saturday, the Hitmen visit the Edmonton Oil Kings (12-2-4).

* WHL: The Everett Silvertips (12-4-0) defeated the host Spokane Chiefs (7-7-2) on Friday night, 4-3. Flyers defense prospect Wyatte Wiley was plus-one with two shots on goal. Wylie turned 20 years old on Nov. 2. For the season, the draft-plus-two blueliner has 15 points (3g, 12a) and is +6 in 16 games. On Saturday, Everett will pay a visit to the Seattle Thunderbirds (5-8-1).

* QMHJL: The Victoriaville Tigres (5-12-0) upset the host Chicoutimi Sagueneens (12-4-2) by a 4-1 score on Friday. Flyers draft-plus-one right prospect Egor Serdyuk, did not record a point and had two shots on goal. The streak scorer is pointless in his last four games and has one point (1a) in his last six. For the season, the Russian forward has eight goals and 11 points in 16 games; cooling off considerably since a red-hot start and a four-game injury absence. The Tigres, who are still in last place in the Western Conference, host the Shawinigan Cataractes (8-9-0) on Saturday night.

* Idle: The Flyers prospects playing Sweden as well as OHL defenseman Mason Millman (Saginaw Spirit) were idle on Friday in their respective leagues. The SHL is on a schedule break until Nov. 14.
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