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Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers 37-25-12) are back home on Thursday to take in Todd McLellan’s Detroit Red Wings (39-27-8). Tied with 86 points apiece through 74 games, this is a must-win game for both teams.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams. It’s the lone game in Philadelphia.
Last Saturday in Detroit, the Flyers earned a 5-3 victory. Owen Tippett led the way with a hat trick and an assist. Noah Cates (PPG) and Sean Couturier (ENG) also scored. Philly built a seemingly comfortable 4-0 lead through the game’s first 55 minutes. Detroit scored three quick goals to draw back with 4-3. Finally, Couturier’s empty-net goal secured the win.
Following the win in Detroit, the Flyers captured a 2-1 overtime win against Dallas in a stellar team performance the next night. However, the Flyers suffered a 6-4 setback in Washington on Tuesday. Special teams play proved costly that night.
The Red Wings had two nights off after the loss to the Flyers. On Tuesday, the Red Wings sustained a 5-1 road loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Detroit has lost four of its last five games.
Where to watch
Time and broadcast: 7:00 p.m. EDT on NBCSP
Listen online: FlyersRadio 24/7
RAV4 keys to the game for Philadelphia: click here
In-game watch party (Maher Media): click here
Leading scorers: Flyers (through 74 games)
Travis Konecny — 65 points (26g, 39a)
Trevor Zegras — 60 points (23g, 37a)
Owen Tippett — 48 points (27g, 21a)
Christian Dvorak — 46 points (16g, 30a)
Noah Cates — 42 points (17g, 25a)
Matvei Michkov — 40 points (16g, 24a)
Travis Sanheim — 33 points (9g, 24a)
Sean Couturier — 32 points (10g, 22a)
Jamie Drysdale — 30 points (8g, 22a)
Cam York — 26 points (4g, 22a) in 67 games
Denver Barkey — 14 points (5g, 9a) in 37 games
Nikita Grebenkin — 14 points (4g, 10a) in 55 games
Tyson Forster — 13 points (10g, 3a) in 21 games
Goaltender stats
Dan Vladar — 46 GP, 24-13-7, 2.50 GAA, .904 SV%
Samuel Ersson — 30 GP, 13-10-5, 3.11 GAA, .870 SV%
Aleksei Kolosov — 4 GP, 0-2-0, 4.00 GAA, .830 SV%
Flyers Lineup
The Flyers held a 10:30 a.m. morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Samuel Ersson will get the start in goal for Philly. The big lineup news:
- Tyson Foerster will exit long-term injured reserve to dress in the game. He last played on December 1. In that game, Foerster suffered an arm injury when taking a power play one-timer against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The injury happened one shift after Foerster scored a 5-on-3 power play goal on nearly an identical setup.
- Porter Martone will make his Flyers home debut. He played his first NHL game on Tuesday in Washington.
Tyson Foerster – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone
Denver Barkey – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov
Luke Glendening – Sean Couturier – Carl Grundstrom
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Emil Andrae
Samuel Ersson
[Dan Vladar]
Scratches: Alex Bump (healthy), Garnet Hathaway (healthy), Noah Juulsen (undisclosed), Nikita Grebenkin (upper body), Garrett Wilson (healthy).
Flyers Playoff Outlook
Both the Flyers and Red Wings are below the Eastern Conference wildcard cutoff line. However, the lower wildcard team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, are just two points (plus 27 to 23 a regulation wins tiebreaker advantage) ahead of Philly. The Blue Jackets visit the Eastern Conference leading Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
If the Flyers beat Detroit and the Hurricanes defeat the Blue Jackets in regulation on Tuesday, Philadelphia would temporarily move ahead of Columbus in the standings. That is because the Flyers have played one fewer gamer than the Blue Jackets. Ultimately, however, Philly would need to surpass the Blue Jackets by at least one point to remove the regulation wins factor.
