Game 33 Preview: Flyers @ Ducks

Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (13-13-6) will visit Dallas Eakins' Anaheim Ducks (17-11-7) on Tuesday night. Game time at the Honda Center is 10:00 p.m. ET (NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic).

This is the final game of the Flyers' four-game road trip to the Pacific coast. The team has gone 1-1-1 on the trip so far and needs a victory to finish the trip with a winning record. It is also important, on the heels of a 3-2 overtime loss in San Jose and a 6-3 defeat in Los Angeles, for the Flyers to avoid coming home with a three-game winless streak.

The Flyers will have Scott Laughton back in the lineup after he missed the first three games of the trip while in COVID-19 protocol. Carter Hart, who dealt with the flu prior to the Christmas break and then a mild COVID case, practiced with the team on Monday. Depending on how he feels, Hart could be the starting goalie against the Ducks.

Jackson Cates and Nick Seeler entered COVID-19 protocol on Monday. Derick Brassard exited protocol over the weekend but still needs a little more time coming back from rehabbing a nagging hip issue to put in practice time before potentially returning to the lineup.

Yeo said on Monday that defenseman Ryan Ellis is out of protocol. However, the team's projected RD1, who has been limited to four games played all season, has made little progress in rehabbing a nagging lower-body injury (widely suspected, although never confirmed, to be a groin/hip issue). He is not close to returning to play.

Sean Couturier, who also spent a recent stint in COVID-19 protocol, is on IR due to a nagging upper-body issue. He's officially week-to-week.

The Ducks canceled their scheduled practice on Monday after Nicolas Deslauriers and former Flyers forward Derek Grant tested positive for COVID-19 and entered protocol. Veteran captain Ryan Getzlaf (team-leading 20 assists among his 22 points) and gifted young forward Trevor Zegras (8 goals, 25 points) are also in COVID protocol. The NHL's Rookie of the Month in December, Zegras entered protocol on Dec. 28 while Getzlaf entered protocol over New Year's weekend.

Projected lineups will be added to the blog later today. For a five-faceted preview of tonight's game, see today's Five Things feature on the Flyers' official website.

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