The Flyers will try to not make it eight losses in a row when they welcome in the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be the final of three games between the two teams. Tampa has won the first two matchups, the latter being a 4-0 shutout. The Flyers gained a point in the first matchup before falling in the shootout.
Philadelphia is looking for any way to come away with a victory against one of the top teams in the NHL. Tampa comes in on the second half of a back to back so the Flyers will try to take advantage of a potentially tired Lightning squad. They have been off since their 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 8-9-4 (20 points, 7th in Metro)
Not only did the Flyers continue their winless streak against the Rangers, but they also lost a key part of their offense as well. Joel Farabee played just under three minutes before leaving the game after losing an edge and going shoulder-first into the boards. He came out for his next shift but was clearly bothered by the crash. His status, while not concrete, could see him sidelined for more than a few weeks.
Farabee had a goal in each of his last three games after just one in his previous 14. His seven goals are tied for team lead so Philadelphia is losing one of their best scorers during a time in which they haven’t been able to consistently score. And doing so against Tampa Bay won’t be an easy task at all.
The Flyers made more changes to their lineup going into the game against New York and have appeared to make a few more tweaks coming into this one. They also made some adjustments to the power-play unit as well. That is especially a group that Philadelphia is looking to get going at some point in the very near future.
The Flyers don’t have to worry about getting Carter Hart going. A season after they had some of the worst goaltending numbers, this season has been the complete opposite. The team’s goaltenders are a big reason Philadelphia is still somewhat afloat. Hart’s numbers have dipped a little but he still owns a 2.70 GAA and a .919 SV%. He was on the losing end against the Rangers and last earned a victory on November 16th against Calgary.
That also happened to be the last time that Philadelphia won a game. It’s going to take the kind of effort we haven’t seen from this team in a while to come away with a victory in this one.
Projected Lineup
Giroux – Couturier – Atkinson
Frost – Hayes- Konecny
van Riemsdyk – Laughton – MacEwen
Lindblom – Bunnaman – Willman
Provorov – Ristolainen
Sanheim – Braun
Yandle – Seeler
Hart
Tampa Bay Lightning
Record: 14-5-4 (32 points, 3rd in Atlantic)
There’s not much to say about this Tampa team that isn’t already known. To put it simply, they’re good at hockey. While they only boast one double-digit goal scorer, they have plenty of weapons that can burn you. Only four players that have played a game for Tampa haven’t scored a goal and only two of them are without a single point.
While Steven Stamkos is their leading goal-scorer (12) and point-getter (26), Victor Hedman is always dangerous as well. He has 23 points on the season and has six points in his last five games. Alex Killorn is having a strong season as well with eight goals and 20 points in 23 games.
The Flyers are catching a break as they aren’t expected to face Andrei Vasilevskiy. Instead, it is projected to be former Philadelphia goaltender Brian Elliot. He’s only appeared in four games this season and has gone 2-1-1 in those games. He holds a 3.16 GAA and a .887 SV%. Elliot has also given up three goals or more in his four games. Tampa can score at will, however, so scoring a few won’t always necessarily mean a victory is coming.
But it does mean the Flyers can potentially gain some offensive confidence if they are able to beat their former netminder a few times. And that could be the key to breaking out of this funk.
Projected Lineup
Palat – Stamkos – Barré-Boulet
Killorn – Cirelli – Fortier
Maroon – Bellemare – Perry
Katchouk – Colton – Raddysh
Hedman – Rutta
McDonagh – Cernak
Sergachev – Bogosian
Elliot
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 6:00 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio Broadcast: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: Fubo TV
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