(Photo: Kate Frese)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor
There are just two games left on the Flyers schedule, including one final game away from home which the Flyers will play on Thursday.
Just like on Tuesday, there is a lot at stake for the opponent. Dallas had a chance to clinch a playoff spot in Tuesday's game and did convincingly. The St. Louis Blues lost in a shootout on Wednesday night to Chicago, moving them to within a point of the Central Division lead with two games to play for all three teams locked in the battle for the title. Nashville and Winnipeg both sit one point ahead and both will be in action on Thursday night as well, leaving a lot of room for shuffling in the standings with this game.
Game time is at 8 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | St. Louis Blues | GP | G | A | P |
Claude Giroux | 80 | 21 | 61 | 82 | Ryan O'Reilly | 80 | 27 | 47 | 74 |
Sean Couturier | 78 | 32 | 42 | 74 | Vladimir Tarasenko | 74 | 32 | 32 | 64 |
Jake Voracek | 76 | 20 | 45 | 65 | Brayden Schenn | 70 | 15 | 36 | 51 |
Travis Konecny | 80 | 23 | 25 | 48 | David Perron | 55 | 22 | 22 | 44 |
James van Riemsdyk | 64 | 26 | 20 | 46 | Tyler Bozak | 71 | 13 | 24 | 37 |
Player to Watch | |
93 Jake Voracek | 10 Brayden Schenn |
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -6 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 3 A, 3 P, -1 |
Goalie Matchup | |
37 Brian Elliott | 50 Jordan Binnington |
25 GP, 11-10-1, 2.81 GAA, .912 SV% | 30 GP, 22-5-1, 1.85 GAA, .928 SV% |
Brian Elliott makes what could be his final start as a Flyer against his former team in St. Louis. Elliott has started just two games since March 11, allowing seven goals to Toronto on March 15 and three goals to Washington on March 24, both losses.
The Blues rookie sensation in goal has been Jordan Binnington. Binnington's storybook season starts against the Flyers on Jan. 7, when he made his first NHL start and made 25 saves in a shutout win. He has made 27 starts since, winning 21 of them, including posting four more shutouts. He has won six of his last seven starts, allowing three goals or less in all seven starts.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Michal Neuvirth
Scratches: Justin Bailey, Andrew MacDonald, Cam Talbot
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 11 Travis Konecny |
25 James van Riemsdyk | 21 Scott Laughton | 93 Jake Voracek |
23 Oskar Lindblom | 19 Nolan Patrick | 38 Ryan Hartman |
12 Michael Raffl | 44 Phil Varone | |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 6 Travis Sanheim | |
53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 61 Phil Myers | |
8 Robert Hagg | 3 Radko Gudas | 5 Sam Morin |
Goalie | ||
37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
Corban Knight cleared waivers and is expected to be sent to the Phantoms after the road trip is completed. He will not play in Thursday's game. The Flyers will dress seven defensemen with Justin Bailey also coming out of the lineup. Knight did skate in place of Nolan Patrick during the morning skate and there has been no update yet as to why Patrick was not on the ice. It's assumed it was maintenance for now, but there is always a chance there is a different reason he did not skate.
Blues Projected Lineup
Injuries: Sammy Blais, Joel Edmundson
Scratches: Mackenzie MacEachern, Robby Fabbri, Michael Del Zotto
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
10 Brayden Schenn | 90 Ryan O'Reilly | 91 Vladimir Tarasenko |
17 Jaden Schwartz | 70 Oskar Sundqvist | 57 David Perron |
7 Patrick Maroon | 21 Tyler Bozak | 18 Robert Thomas |
12 Zach Sanford | 49 Ivan Barbashev | 20 Alex Steen |
Defense | ||
29 Vince Dunn | 27 Alex Pietrangelo | |
19 Jay Bouwmeester | 55 Colton Parayko | |
4 Carl Gunnarsson | 41 Robert Bortuzzo | |
Goalie | ||
50 Jordan Binnington |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-22nd, 28th on road), Blues (15th, 21st at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (25th, T-24th on road), Blues (7th, T-25th at home)
- Recent History vs. Blues
- Jan. 7, 2019 – Blues 3, Flyers 0 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Blues
- Shayne Gostisbehere – 5 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 P
- Claude Giroux – 15 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P
- Travis Konecny – 5 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 P
- Brian Elliott – 6 GP, 5-1-0, 2.30 GAA, .918 SV%
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia+
Radio: 93.3 WMMR