New year, new Flyers? We'll see.
After a roller-coaster 2017 calendar year that mainly saw the Flyers plagued by consistent inconsistency, they turn over the calendar with a matchup against cross-state rival Pittsburgh. If there's a better way to open the year up, especially with the first half of the season getting ready to wrap up, I haven't seen it.
Both teams enter tonight's matchup neck-and-neck in the standings — certainly not what most of us expected at the start of the year. The Flyers sit at dead last in the Metro with 40 points, and the Pens are just a point ahead. With an Eastern Conference- and division-heavy slate set over the second half, tonight's a game with substantial implications for the Orange and Black.
Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Pittsburgh Penguins | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 38 | 13 | 33 | 46 | Phil Kessel | 40 | 16 | 26 | 42 |
| Jakub Voracek | 38 | 8 | 38 | 46 | Evgeni Malkin | 36 | 14 | 24 | 36 |
| Sean Couturier | 38 | 18 | 18 | 36 | Sidney Crosby | 40 | 14 | 21 | 35 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 35 | 8 | 21 | 29 | Kris Letang | 37 | 2 | 23 | 25 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 38 | 12 | 11 | 23 | Patric Hornqvist | 36 | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 71 Evgeni Malkin |
| Last 5 Games: 0 G, 10 A, 10 P, +2 | Last 5 Games: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P, -6 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 37 Brian Elliott | 35 Tristan Jarry |
| 14-9-7, 2.62 GAA, .914 SV% | 9-9-4, 3.15 GAA, .908 SV% |
The Flyers' workhorse throughout much of December, Brian Elliott returns to the cage for the Flyers. This will be his 14th consecutive start. In both teams' prior meeting on Nov. 27, Elliott had the puck firing on him at all angles, turning in 47 saves on 52 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss.
Tristan Jarry will get the nod for Pittsburgh, in a bit of a surprise move, over Matt Murray. He recently stopped 31 of 33 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: none
Scratches: Travis Sanheim, Taylor Leier
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 11 Travis Konecny |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 40 Jordan Weal | 19 Nolan Patrick | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 15 Jori Lehtera | 21 Scott Laughton | 22 Dale Weise |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 8 Robert Hagg | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
Travis Sanheim will miss his second consecutive game. Brandon Manning will play in his second consecutive game since returning from injury, and will look to build off his goal against Tampa Bay.
Penguins Projected Lineup
Injuries:
Scratches: Bryan Rust, Dominik Simon, Frank Corrado, Matt Hunwick, Chad Ruhwedel
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 43 Conor Sheary | 87 Sidney Crosby | 72 Patric Hornqvist |
| 62 Carl Hagelin | 71 Evgeni Malkin | 81 Phil Kessel |
| 59 Jake Guentzel | 15 Riley Sheahan | 41 Daniel Sprong |
| 34 Tom Kuhnhackl | 37 Carter Rowney | 75 Ryan Reaves |
| Defense | ||
| 8 Brian Dumoulin | 58 Kris Letang | |
| 28 Ian Cole | 4 Justin Schultz | |
| 3 Olli Maatta | 6 Jamie Oleksiak | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Tristan Jarry |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (14th, 23rd at home), Penguins (3rd, 1st on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 30th at home), Penguins (15th, 14th on road)
- Recent History vs. Penguins
- Nov. 27, 2017 – Penguins 5, Flyers 4 – F/OT (at PIT)
- March 26, 2017 – Flyers 6, Penguins 2 (at PIT)
- March 15, 2017 – Flyers 4, Penguins 0 (at PHI)
- Feb. 25, 2017 – Penguins 4, Flyers 2 (at PIT/Heinz Field)
- Milestone Watch:
- Claude Giroux is six games away from 600 in his career, and seven goals away from 200.
- Andrew MacDonald is four games away from 500 in his career.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
