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Flyers Gameday: 11/21/18 @ BUF

November 21, 2018, 8:19 AM ET [737 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Game 21 Preview: Flyers @ Sabres

Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (9-9-2) are in New York State on Wednesday take on Phil Housley's Buffalo Sabres (13-6-2). Game time at KeyBank Center is 7:00 p.m. ET.

The game will be televised on NBCSNP. The radio broadcast can be found on 97.5 FM The Fanatic with an online simulcast at FlyersRadio247.com.

This is the first of three meetings this season between the teams. They will rematch in Buffalo on Dec. 8 and in Philadelphia on Feb. 26.

Last season, the Flyers won two of three against the Sabres, sandwiching 2-1 (Dec. 14, 2017) and 4-1 (Jan. 7, 2018) home victories around a 4-2 road loss (Dec. 22, 2017).

Flyers Outlook

The Flyers are beginning a road-home-road stretch of three games in four nights. After this game, the team will host the New York Rangers in the annual Black Friday game at the Wells Fargo Center and then head to Ontario on Saturday to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Philly last played on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers played a strong but scoreless first period but found themselves trailing 3-1 by the second intermission. The deficit grew to 5-1 by the midway point of the third period before the Flyers stormed back for four unanswered goals in six-plus minutes to force overtime. However, the Lightning prevailed in the extra frame, 6-5.

The Flyers were off the ice for the next two days following the Tampa game. Sunday was the annual Flyers Wives Carnival. Monday was a complete off-day. The team returned to practice in Voorhees on Tuesday. One potential lineup change for Tuesday is Jori Lehterä returning from a two-game stint as a healthy scratch to center the fourth line, with Scott Laughton moving back to left wing. If so, rookie right winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel would be a healthy scratch.

Entering Tuesday's game, the Flyers have scored 62 goals and allowed 71. The power play comes in at 16.2 percent with the penalty kill at just 68.2 percent.

Sabres Outlook

The Sabres have won six games in a row. On Monday and found themselves trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 4-1 score. Undaunted, the Sabres staged a four-goal comeback to win 5-4 in overtime. The Sabres now face their own three-in-four gauntlet. They will play three of their next four games on home ice.

On the injury front, Marco Scandella is questionable with a lower-body injury. He left the Penguins game after blocking a shot and hobbling off the ice.

To date, the Sabres have scored 63 goals and allowed 60. The power play comes in at 17.4 percent and the penalty kill is at 82.7 percent success.


PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)

FLYERS

28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
23 Oskar Lindblom - 19 Nolan Patrick - 93 Jakub Voracek
25 James van Riemsdyk - 40 Jordan Weal - 17 Wayne Simmonds
21 Scott Laughton- 15 Jori Lehterä - 22 Dale Weise

9 Ivan Provorov - 8 Robert Hägg
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 26 Christian Folin
6 Travis Sanheim - 3 Radko Gudas

34 Alex Lyon
[33 Cal Pickard]

Scratches: 47 Andrew MacDonald (healthy), 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel (healthy), 37 Brian Elliott (lower body), 30 Michal Neuvirth (IR, lower body), 12 Michael Raffl (IR, lower body), 10 Corban Knight (IR, collarbone), 5 Sam Morin (ACL surgery).

SABRES

53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville
43 Conor Sheary - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 21 Kyle Okposo
72 Tage Thompson - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 23 Sam Reinhart
10 Patrik Berglund - 22 Johan Larsson - 28 Zegmus Girgensons​

55 Rasmus Ristolainen - 19 Jake McCabe
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 4 Zach Bogosian
6 Marco Scandella - 8 Casey Nelson​

40 Carter Hutton
[35 Linus Ullmark​]

Scratches: 6 Marco Scandella (questionable, lower body injury), 20 Scott Wilson (IR, ankle fracture), 71 Evan Rodrigues (healthy), 81 Remi Elie (healthy), 82 Nathan Beaulieu (healthy).
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