It's another back-to-back situation for the Flyers as they will head to Los Angeles to face the Kings. This is the seventh time this season that Philadelphia has had to play two consecutive games.
The second game hasn't been kind to the Flyers thus far. They hold a 1-5-0 record in the second game of a back-to-back. They are 4-2-1 in the first game. They will have had plenty of time to recover as their game against Anaheim finished mid-afternoon. It will be over 24 hours before playing the Kings.
Regardless, the Flyers will want to put in a better effort against Los Angeles. They were embarrassed by said team back in Philadelphia. The Flyers did have a 3-2 lead at one point, but that turned into a 7-3 rout by the end of the game.
Philadelphia Flyers
One of the best things to come out of the win against Anaheim was the play of Sam Ersson. Struggling before the break, those few days of rest seemed to pay off for the Flyers' top goaltender. He looked sharp and only allowed one goal to the Ducks. Many of his stops came at crucial times, especially with the Flyers not scoring until the second period.
Noah Cates has also continued to step up for Philadelphia. He has goals in five straight games. He has now topped his goal total from last season and is looking much more like the player he was during his rookie season. He's getting rewarded for his strong play as his line has been the most consistent for Philadelphia.
A player who has been on the opposite side of things is Matvei Michkov. The rookie forward was benched in the third period and finished with just over nine minutes of ice time. John Tortorella was honest in saying the schedule might be catching up with Michkov. Remember, he's not used to playing this many games in a short period. He could be a healthy scratch during this road trip.
Flyers Projected Roster
Scott Laughton - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Joel Farabee - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler - Rasmus Ristolainen
Egor Zamula - Jamie Drysdale
Aleksei Kolosov
Los Angeles Kings
It's only been a little over a week since the Kings and Flyers met. Los Angeles has lost two of their last three games and will also be in the second game of a back-to-back. They've had much success in those situations, sweeping the last two they've played while splitting the prior two. Saturday's win over Edmonton was a back-and-forth game that saw five goals in the first two periods. It ended with Quintin Byfield's second of the night in overtime.
Anze Kopitar is still the engine that makes this Kings team run. While he doesn't have a point in three straight games, he leads the team with 37 points. He has seven goals and 19 points against the Flyers in his career. That includes the two he scored in the previous matchup. Adrian Kempe leads the Kings with 16 goals and is one of five players in double digits. He's had mild success against Philadelphia, scoring seven goals in 13 games.
Darcy Kuemper was in the net against the Oilers so expect David Rittich to make his 18th start of the season. He's played rather well in his second season with the Kings, though he has lost his last two starts. Overall, the veteran netminder has a 2.46 GAA and a .891 SV%.
Kings Projected Lineup
Alex Turcotte - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele - Quinton Byfield - Tanner Jeannot
Kevin Fiala - Phillip Danault - Alex Laferriere
Akil Thomas - Samuel Helenius
Mikey Anderson - Vladislav Gavrikov
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Jacob Moverare - Jordan Spence
Kyle Burroughs
David Rittich
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 9:00 PM
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTv
FuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV