By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor
Over the course of the week, the Flyers established themselves as a Jekyll-and-Hyde team out of the All-Star Break. They looked like they belonged nowhere near NHL ice on Tuesday against Carolina, yet rebounded for a win over a top East club in Montreal a game later.
They'll look to continue that momentum with a matinee matchup against a Los Angeles Kings squad that has been hot over their last few games. Not only have the Kings won their past four games, they've scored at least three goals in each game, they've earned two shutouts and have allowed only three goals.
Puck drop is set for 1 p.m.
Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Kings Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
Jake Voracek | 52 | 14 | 31 | 45 | Jeff Carter | 51 | 26 | 20 | 42 |
Claude Giroux | 52 | 12 | 29 | 40 | Anze Kopitar | 45 | 6 | 25 | 31 |
Wayne Simmonds | 52 | 21 | 17 | 38 | Drew Doughty | 51 | 8 | 22 | 30 |
Brayden Schenn | 49 | 16 | 19 | 35 | Alec Martinez | 51 | 7 | 20 | 27 |
Travis Konecny | 50 | 7 | 15 | 22 | Tanner Pearson | 49 | 15 | 11 | 26 |
Player to Watch | |
28 Claude Giroux | 77 Jeff Carter |
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, -1 | Last 5 Games: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, +1 |
Late in the second period, Claude Giroux got the Flyers' offense going against the Canadiens. He's got points in three of his last five games. Look for him to keep his momentum rolling against the Kings — a team he has three goals and 10 points in 12 games against.
Goalie Matchup | |
30 Michal Neuvirth |
31 Peter Budaj |
8-4-0, 3.17 GAA, .885 SV% | 24-14-3, 2.01 GAA, .922 SV% |
Michal Neuvirth is expected to make back-to-back starts for the first time since November. He stopped 15 of 16 shots against the Canadiens, as the Flyers conceded a season-low shots.
Peter Budaj is expected to take the reigns for the Kings, as he's occupied the lion's share of game action as a result of Jonathan Quick's injury. Wednesday's shutout against the lowly Avalanche was his career-high sixth shutout, and he turned away 22 saves.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Travis Konecny, Shayne Gostisbehere, Michael Del Zotto
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
12 Michael Raffl | 28 Claude Giroux | 93 Jakub Voracek |
22 Dale Weise | 10 Brayden Schenn | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
25 Nick Cousins | 14 Sean Couturier | 24 Matt Read |
76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 13 Roman Lyubimov |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
32 Mark Streit | 3 Radko Gudas | |
23 Brandon Manning | 55 Nick Schultz | |
Goalie | ||
30 Michal Neuvirth |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (9th, 7th at home), Kings (21st, 25th on the road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (18th, 12th at home), Kings (7th, 7th on the road)
- Milestone Watch:
- Mark Streit is five goals away from 100 in his career.
- Matt Read is four assists away from 100 in his career.
- Michael Raffl is eight points away from 100 in his career.
- Recent History vs. Los Angeles
- 10/24/16: The Flyers opened their season with a visit to Staples Center, and left with a resounding 4-2 win. Sean Couturier netted two goals, while Boyd Gordon and Mark Streit also scored. Michal Neuvirth posted 23 saves on 25 shots.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic