Claude Giroux pushes the puck past Patrice Bergeron off the faceoff. Image c/o Amy Irvin of 38Photography
The Philadelphia Flyers have hit a skid, losing their last four games and managing to pick up a singular point in that span. Across this four-game slide, they have allowed 18 goals and scored just eight. Their worst loss came yesterday at the hands of the Boston Bruins by way of a 6-1 drubbing on Wells Fargo Center ice. The Flyers now find themselves on the outside looking in for the wild card spot. The team have 56 points, tying them with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, but they have played two more games than either of those clubs in addition to missing out on two valuable points against the Blue Jackets last week.
Philadelphia will look to get back on track this week where they face the Red Wings at home before heading out west to face the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. You can purchase tickets to any and all Philadelphia Flyers games at tiqiq.com.
Detroit Red Wings on 01.28.2014 at 7:00 PM in Philadelphia
The Detroit Red Wings have surpassed the Philadelphia Flyers by virtue of fewer games played in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and are 14-7-3 on the road. It should also be noted that the Red Wings have a combined 20 wins in either regulation or overtime to the Flyers’ 22. The Red Wings have won two straight, scoring eight goals in the process, and beating two playoff caliber clubs in the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens.
While Detroit may not be enjoying the success they have in recent years on a consistent basis this season, they are still a good club. The teams have split the season series with Detroit won the first game 5-2 and Philadelphia took the second game 6-3. In the Flyers’ victory, neither Pavel Datsyuk nor Henrik Zetterberg suited up for the Red Wings and they currently lead the team in points. While Zetterberg will likely play, Datsyuk will probably miss the final game in the season series with a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup since the Winter Classic.
Zetterberg leads all Detroit players with 16 goals and 28 points for 44 points in 40 games, while Datsyuk has 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) in 35 games. Daniel Alfredsson (11 goals, 20 assists) and Niklas Kronwall (six goals, 25 assists) each have 31 points.
In net, the Red Wings will likely play Jonas Gustafsson, due to Jimmy Howard being out with a knee injury that has plagued him all year. Gustavsson is 13-3-2 this year with no shutouts, a .916 save percentage, and a 2.39 goals against average.
The Flyers will need to play tight defense against this Detroit club who likes to play a puck possession game. Another key will be to keep a lid on Alfredsson and Zetterberg, who each had three points in the first game between the teams this season.
Anaheim Ducks on 01.30.2014 at 10:00 PM (EST) in Anaheim
The Anaheim Ducks are leading the entire league with 83 points in the standings. They have 182 goals to their credit and have allowed just 130. They are 8-2-0 in their last 10, have won their last two games including a 3-0 shutout against the Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium as part of the NHL’s Stadium Series, and are an outstanding 21-1-2 on home ice. The Ducks won the first of two games between these clubs this season, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win in regulation by a score of 3-2. The Flyers received goals from Matt Read and Vincent Lecavalier in the first period, while the Ducks got one goal from Andrew Cogliano in period two and two from Kyle Palmieri in the final stanza.
Anaheim is led by its captain Ryan Getzlaf with 60 points and 35 assists (25 goals). Corey Perry is second on the team in points with 57 and leads all Ducks in goals with 28 (29 assists). Nick Bonino has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists), while defenseman Cam Fowler has 29 points (six goals, 23 assists). The Ducks are a deep team up front, with eight forwards who have at least 20 points on the year, but they are also strong in net.
Jonas Hiller is 24-6-4 this season, has four shutouts to his credit, a .915 save percentage, and a 2.34 goals against average. His backup, Frederik Andersen is 13-2-0, with no shutouts, a .933 save percentage, and a 1.87 goals against average.
The Flyers will definitely be in for tough game being as that the Ducks are so good at home, but with how poorly the Flyers have played defensively of late, this could be a really ugly game.
Los Angeles Kings on 02.01.2014 at 4:00 PM (EST) in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Kings are sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference. They have allowed just 113 goals to date, good enough for second in the entire league in that category. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 and have lost their last four games. This will be the first of two meetings between the two clubs this season.
The Kings are led by Anze Kopitar who has 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists). The former-Flyers who play for the kings are doing well this year as Mike Richards has 35 points and leads Los Angeles in assists with 28 (seven goals), Jeff Carter is leading the team in goals with 20 goals and has 33 points (13 assists), while Justin Williams has 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists). The Kings also have two defensemen with at least 20 points in Drew Doughty who has 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) and Slava Voynov who has 20 points even (three goals, 17 assists).
Los Angeles has two goaltenders who are capable of being quite stingy in Jonathan Quick and Martin Jones. Quick returned from injury at the beginning of the month and started off red hot, as just two of his first seven starts saw his save percentage dip below .940. His last three performances have been subpar as he has not been able to reach above a .905 save percentage. For the year, Quick is 14-9-2, with two shutouts, a .915 save percentage, and a 2.09 goals against average. His backup, a rookie by the name of Martin Jones, is 8-4-0, with three shutouts, a .940 save percentage, and a 1.72 goals against average. Jones has not won a game since December 21st, though he has seen limited action since Quick returned, and in just one of his last four appearances has he had a save percentage of over .900, though one of those was in relief.
The Kings are a tough team to beat because of their defensive acumen. Fortunately for Philadelphia, Los Angeles is not the highest scoring of teams, so if they can keep the likes of Kopitar, Richards, Carter, and Williams off the board, they might be able to pry two points away from the Kings in this game.
