Game 30 Preview: Flyers @ Oilers
Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (12-13-4) are in Alberta on Friday to take on Ken Hitchcock's Edmonton Oilers (17-12-3). Game time at Rogers Place is 8:30 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised locally on NBCSP. The radio broadcast can be found on 97.5 FM The Fanatic with an online simulcast at
FlyersRadio247.com.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference clubs, and the lone game in Edmonton. The teams will rematch in Philadelphia on the afternoon of Feb. 2. Last year, the Flyers swept the season series with a 2-1 home (Oct. 21, 2017) and a 4-2 (Dec. 6) road victory.
Flyers Outlook
Friday's game is the fourth of a five-game road trip for the Flyers, the start of a back-to-back set and the second game of a three-in-four gauntlet that ends in Vancouver on Saturday evening. The team has won just four of its last 13 games overall (4-6-3).
In Wednesday night's game in Calgary, the Flyers sustained an excruciating 6-5 overtime loss after a late-game collapse.
Philly trailed by scores of 1-0 (first intermission) and 2-1 (early second period), the Flyers went on to build leads of 4-2 and 5-3 (third period) but were unable to close out the game. A four-goal second period by the Flyers ended up going to waste. Both teams scored one power play goal and one shorthanded goal apiece. The Flyers took four penalties in the third period, surviving those but leaving the gas tank on empty before Calgary scored twice in the final 68 seconds of regulation and then again in the opening minute of overtime.
In a losing cause, Sean Couturier returned from a two-game injury absence to score two goals (even strength for his 11th of the season and a shorthanded breakaway for his 12th) and an assist. Travis Sanheim (3rd goal, fourth point in his last four games), James van Riemsdyk (power play, 3rd) and Dale Weise (3rd) also scored for the Flyers.
Despite playing well and authoring a host of good saves, Flyers starter Anthony Stolarz ended up having an ugly statistical night, stopping 35 of 41 shots. Only a Mark Giordano shorthanded goal was one that appeared stoppable. Stolarz made a dozen third period saves -- including several tough stops -- before the two late 6-on-5 goals.
On Thursday, the Flyers announced that veteran goaltender Brian Elliott was leaving the road trip and returning to Philadelphia for a "scheduled medical appointment" while fellow veteran Michal Neuvirth was granted family leave in order to return to the Philadelphia area to be there for the birth of his second child. The Flyers have recalled Alex Lyon from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to sub for Neuvirth on the roster for the remainder of the road trip.
Claude Giroux leads the Flyers in scoring this season with 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in 29 games. He is followed by Jakub Voracek with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists, active six-game
point streak), Couturier with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) and Travis Konecny with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists). Shayne Gostisbehere (three goals, 10 assists, -13) leads the Flyers' defense corps with 13 points.
Entering this game, the Flyers have scored an average 3.10 goals per game (ranked 15th) and have a team 3.69 GAA (29th).
Offensively, the Flyers have been feast-or-famine. They have scored four or more goals in 13 of 29 games. However, they've also been shut out four times and held to a single goal in four other games.
The Flyers power play comes in at 14.3 percent (12-for-84, T-28th) with six shorthanded goals yielded. The penalty kill enters at 71.7 percent (opponents are 27-for-98, 31st) with three shorthanded goals scored (Dale Weise at Pittsburgh on Dec. 1, Claude Giroux in Buffalo on Dec. 8, Couturier in Calgary on Dec. 12).
Only the Florida Panthers (7) and Pittsburgh Penguins (8) have allowed more opposing shorthanded goals than the Flyers have to date. The three shorthanded goals the Flyers have scored this month have moved the team to the middle of the NHL pack overall for the season.
To date this season, Flyers have scored first in 10 games and are 6-2-2 in those games. They have trailed first 19 times. When yielding the game's first goal, the Flyers are 6-11-2.
Oilers Outlook
The Oilers bring a 9-4-1 home record into Friday's tilt and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games overall. The club has experienced at least a short-term surge since replacing Todd McLellan behind the bench with Hitchcock. The team got off to a 9-10-1 start before McLellan's dismissal but has since gone 8-2-2.
Friday's game is the back end of a road (Colorado)/ road (Winnipeg)/ home three-in-four set and the second half of a back-to-back. Edmonton comes into this game off a 5-4 overtime road loss to the Jets on Thursday.
In a seesaw match, the Oilers led 1-0, trailed 3-1, and then scored three straight goals to take a 4-3 lead to the second intermission. Winnipeg re-tied the game midway through the third period and then went on to win to defeat the Oilers with a goal 41 seconds into OT. The Oilers got outshot in the third period, 17-2, and Josh Morrissey's overtime goal came on the first shot for either team. Ryan Spooner (3rd), Darnell Nurse (5th), Jujhar Kaira (2nd) and Alex Chiasson (power play, 13th) scored for the Oilers in a losing cause. Connor McDavid had two assists. Cam Talbot stopped 35 of 40 shots.
McDavid (17 goals, 28 assists) leads the Oilers with 45 points. He is followed by Leon Draisaitl (16 goals, 23 assists) with 39, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (10 goals, 20 assists) with 30, and former Dallas and Ottawa forward Chiasson (13 goals, four assists) with 17. Oscar Klefbom (three goals, 12 assists) leads the blueline with 15 points. The Oilers announced on Dec. 13 that Klefbom is out "weeks, not days" with a hand injury.
Entering Friday's game, the Oilers have scored an average 2.84 goals per game (21st) and carry a team 3.00 GAA (T-16th). The power play comes in at 20.8 percent (21-for-101, 15th) with three shorthanded goals yielded. The penalty kill enters at 77 percent (opponents are 23-for-100, 23rd). The Oilers have scored three shorthanded goals: one apiece for Chiasson, Nugent-Hopkins and Drake Caggiula.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
25 James van Riemsdyk - 28 Claude Giroux - 11 Travis Konecny
17 Wayne Simmonds - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jakub Voracek
12 Michael Raffl - 21 Scott Laughton - 22 Dale Weise
23 Oskar Lindblom - 19 Nolan Patrick - 44 Phil Varone
9 Ivan Provorov - 8 Robert Hägg
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 47 Andrew MacDonald
6 Travis Sanheim - 3 Radko Gudas
41 Anthony Stolarz
[34 Alex Lyon]
Scratches: 40 Jordan Weal (healthy), 15 Jori Lehterä (healthy), 26 Christian Folin (healthy), 30 Michal Neuvirth (family leave of absence), 37 Brian Elliott (IR, lower body), 10 Corban Knight (IR, collarbone), 5 Sam Morin (ACL surgery).
OILERS
29 Leon Draisaitl - 97 Connor McDavid - 39 Alex Chiasson
16 Jujhar Khaira - 93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - 98 Jesse Puljujärvi
27 Milan Lucic - 28 Kyle Brodziak - 44 Zack Kassian
91 Drake Caggiula - 23 Ryan Spooner - 22 Tobias Rieder
25 Darnell Nurse - 6 Adam Larsson
5 Kevin Gravel - 83 Matt Benning
13 Jason Garrison - 10 Chris Wideman
19 Mikko Koskinen
[33 Cam Talbot]
Scratches: 8 Ty Rattie (healthy), 73 Valentin Zykov (healthy), 82 Caleb Jones (healthy), 77 Oscar Klefbom (IR, hand), 4 Kris Russell (IR), 2 Andrej Sekera (IR, Achilles tendon surgery).
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