Flyers-Stars: Game 30 Preview

10-20-15_FlyersvsStars_1st_credKateFrese-9

(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The push for eight comes on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers return to the ice after the exciting win that brought their win streak to seven on Thursday.

Awaiting them are the Dallas Stars, who have struggled at times this season after being a force in the Western Conference during the regular season in 2015-16. 

The Flyers and Stars are set to face off on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Flyers Leaders GP G A P Stars Leaders GP G A P
Jake Voracek 29 10 18 28 Tyler Seguin 28 10 19 29
Claude Giroux 29 9 19 28 Jamie Benn 28 8 16 24
Wayne Simmonds 29 15 11 26 Patrick Eaves 27 10 8 18
Brayden Schenn 26 4 12 16 Antoine Roussel 28 5 10 15
Mark Streit 29 5 10 15 Jason Spezza 21 5 9 14
 
Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux 91 Tyler Seguin
Last 5 Games: 4 G, 4 A, 8 P, +9 Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, E
 
Claude Giroux is rolling right now. In the last five games, Giroux has four goals, eight points and is a plus-nine, including a pair of two-goal games.
 
Tyler Seguin has always played well against the Flyers and is among the best scorers in the league. In the last five games, Seguin has six points.
 
Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason 32 Kari Lehtonen
11-8-3, 2.82 GAA, .905 SV% 6-8-3, 2.90 GAA, .896 SV%

For the 13th time in 14 games, Steve Mason is in goal. While Mason didn't fare well on Thursday, he is likely to start on Saturday in the first half of a back-to-back this weekend.

Kari Lehtonen makes his 18th start for the Stars this season. Lehtonen is 2-3-0 in his last five games. Lehtonen claimed his first ever career win against the Flyers last season, bringing his record against them to 1-10-3 with a 3.49 GAA.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Taylor Leier, Nick Schultz, Michael Del Zotto, Sean Couturier, Michal Neuvirth, Matt Read

Left Wing Center Right Wing
12 Michael Raffl 28 Claude Giroux 93 Jake Voracek
11 Travis Konecny 10 Brayden Schenn 17 Wayne Simmonds
76 Chris VandeVelde 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 13 Roman Lyubimov
27 Boyd Gordon 25 Nick Cousins 22 Dale Weise
Defense    
3 Radko Gudas 32 Mark Streit  
47 Andrew MacDonald 9 Ivan Provorov  
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 23 Brandon Manning  
Goalie    
35 Steve Mason    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (2nd, 11th at home), Stars (14th, 10th on road)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (23rd, 22nd at home), Stars (27th, 29th on road) 
  • Recent History vs. Stars
    • Oct. 20, 2015 - The Stars claimed a 2-1 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn scored in the first period. The Flyers cut the lead to one midway through the third on a goal by Sean Couturier. Antti Niemi made 34 saves to pick up the win while Steve Mason stopped 30 of 32 shots.
    • Dec. 11, 2015 – The Stars picked up a 3-1 win over the Flyers in Dallas. The Flyers got on the board first near the halfway point of the game on a goal by Shayne Gostisbehere. But with under six minutes to play in the second, Mattias Janmark scored to tie the game and Antoine Roussel scored with 2:32 left in the period to put Dallas on top. Jamie Benn added an empty-net goal late to seal the win. 
  • Flyers leaders vs. Stars
    • Claude Giroux – 11 games, 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points
    • Jake Voracek - 19 games, 2 goals, 11 assists, 13 points
    • Mark Streit - 11 games, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points
    • Steve Mason - 14 games, 5-6-1, 2.64 GAA, .912 Sv%

Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

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