Flyers

Flyers-Flames: Game 41 Preview

Kevin Durso Sports Editor

Published05 Jan 2019

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(Photo: Kate Frese)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Flyers start to 2019 has been just as poor as their end to 2018. The Flyers are stuck in a five-game losing streak and now tied for the lowest point total in the NHL as Saturday's games begin.

A disappointing and trying season reaches its halfway point as the Flyers play host to the Calgary Flames.

Game time is at 1 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Calgary Flames	GP	G	A	P
Claude Giroux	40	13	33	46	Johnny Gaudreau	42	23	38	61
Jake Voracek	40	10	22	32	Sean Monahan	42	22	29	51
Sean Couturier	38	15	14	29	Elias Lindholm	42	20	28	48
Travis Konecny	40	9	13	22	Matthew Tkachuk	42	18	29	47
Wayne Simmonds	40	12	6	18	Mark Giordano	40	6	33	39

Player to Watch
14 Sean Couturier	13 Johnny Gaudreau
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -1	Last 5 Games: 7 G, 6 A, 13 P, +6

Sean Couturier got on the board with his first goal in six games against Carolina. He also had a three-point game in the Flyers 6-5 overtime loss to the Flames in December.

There aren't many players in the league hotter than Johnny Gaudreau. With seven goals and 13 points in his last five games, Gaudreau sits in a tie for fourth in points in the NHL.

Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart	41 Mike Smith
5 GP, 2-3-0, 2.78 GAA, .899 SV%	23 GP, 12-9-1, 3.09 GAA, .886 SV%

Carter Hart gets back in goal for Saturday's game. He was pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots in Carolina on Monday in his previous start. With Michal Neuvirth now out of the lineup with an injury and new addition Mike McKenna just getting settled in, it could be the first of several starts to come for Hart.

Mike Smith had a rough go in his last start against the Flyers, giving up four goals in short order in the second period before exiting after 40 minutes. Smith is projected to start on Saturday for the Flames.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Michal Neuvirth, Nolan Patrick, Andrew MacDonald, Brian Elliott, Anthony Stolarz, Corban Knight

Scratches: Jori Lehtera

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux	14 Sean Couturier	11 Travis Konecny
12 Michael Raffl	21 Scott Laughton	93 Jake Voracek
25 James van Riemsdyk	40 Jordan Weal	17 Wayne Simmonds
23 Oskar Lindblom	44 Phil Varone	22 Dale Weise
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	6 Travis Sanheim
53 Shayne Gostisbehere	3 Radko Gudas
8 Robert Hagg	26 Christian Folin
Goalie
79 Carter Hart

Lineup Notes

The Flyers have not ruled Nolan Patrick out for Saturday's game, but he practiced on Friday in a non-contact jersey, so he is questionable for the game at best. The rest of the lineup will remain the same.

Flames Projected Lineup

Injuries: Michael Stone

Scratches: Dillon Dube, Ryan Lomberg, Alan Quine, Dalton Prout, Juuso Valimaki

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
13 Johnny Gaudreau	23 Sean Monahan	28 Elias Lindholm
19 Matthew Tkachuk	11 Mikael Backlund	67 Michael Frolik
93 Sam Bennett	77 Mark Jankowski	18 James Neal
27 Austin Czarnik	10 Derek Ryan	21 Garnet Hathaway
Defense
5 Mark Giordano	7 T.J. Brodie
55 Noah Hanifin	24 Travis Hamonic
58 Oliver Kylington	4 Rasmus Andersson
Goalie
41 Mike Smith

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (29th, T-25th at home), Flames (13th, 17th on road)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-28th, 24th at home), Flames (19th, 4th on road)
Recent History vs. Flames
- Nov. 18, 2017 – Flames 5, Flyers 4 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- Dec. 4, 2017 – Flyers 5, Flames 2 (at CGY)
- Dec. 12, 2018 – Flames 6, Flyers 5 (F/OT) (at CGY)
Flyers Leaders vs. Flames
- Claude Giroux – 15 GP, 2 G, 12 A, 14 P
- Jake Voracek – 23 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P
- Sean Couturier – 11 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 P
Milestone Watch
- Wayne Simmonds needs one goal to reach 200 as a Flyer.
- Travis Konecny needs three points to reach 100 for his career.