Flyers-Blackhawks preview : They meet again

The Blackhawks are in Philly tonight to face the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blackhawks won their last meeting with the Flyers 3-0 in Chicago.

Tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers are back in action after a four-day break. The Chicago Blackhawks are in town to go head-to-head with the Flyers for the second time this season, and it all starts at 7:00pm EST.

In the last meeting between the two teams, the Flyers were shutout 2-0 on Wednesday Night Rivalry back in Chicago at the United Center.

The Flyers are coming off of a loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and are trying to avoid their fourth loss in the last five games.

Entering the game tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers currently sit in seventh place, one spot from last, in the Metropolitan division. They have 16 points with a 7-6-2 record.

The Chicago Blackhawks find themselves in a similar situation.  They’re also in seventh place in the Central division. In their last ten games, the Blackhawks are 4-5-1 with nine points. This season, their overall record is 7-6-2.

Flyers Injury Reports for Game:

Nolan Patrick: Patrick will not play in tonight’s contest. He was a active participant in practice early Thursday morning  before the game.

He was seen wearing the yellow “no-contact” jersey, forbidding other skaters to avoid making contact with Patrick during drills and such.

Patrick hasn’t played since suffering a upper-body injury, apparently a concussion, on October 26th. He was expected to play against the Avalanche, but that never happened.

Flyers GM Ron Hextall said they hope Patrick will return to the lineup next Tuesday, when the team is in Minnasota to take on the Wild. In the meantime, he could start a rehab assignment with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Andrew MacDonald: MacDonald will also be inactive for tonight’s game.

He has been out with a apparent knee injury, and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks (as of October 23rd).

MacDonald is close to returning to skating activities, if the team doctor approves his return to limited practice, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Radko Gudas: Defenseman Radko Gudas has been out of action with a upper-body injury he suffered during the game last Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

His return is unknown at this time, and there is a possibility he could rejoin the lineup tonight.

Tonight’s Starting Goaltenders:

Philadelphia Flyers: Brian Elliot will get the call to the net for the Flyers tonight. He last played against the Blackhawks last Wednesday in which he blocked 32 out of 34 shots in the game where the Flyers were shutout 2-0.

This season, the 32-year-old veteran is 2-1-1 with a 3.21 GAA and .877% SV at the Wells Fargo Center.

Michal Neuvirth was expected to start tonight after starting the last two games, but he is reportedly dealing with a illness.

Chicago Blackhawks: For the Blackhawks, Corey Crawford will be the goalie to greet the Flyers.

In his last game, Crawford stopped 33 of 35 shots faced in the Blackhawks loss against the Montreal Canadians.

Next: Is Robert Hagg becoming the new Andrew MacDonald?

He played against the Flyers when the two teams played in Chicago. He got the win, and stopped all 35 shots on goal in the Blackhawks’ 2-0 victory against the Flyers.