The Flyers are coming to the end of this home stand and are still looking for their first win during it. The process has gotten better as the games have gone on, but the results aren't there. They will try to put it all together against the Lightning.
It might be hard to see the positive in the Flyers' recent stretch of games. They've lost five straight and have been outscored 22-8. So what exactly could they have been doing well? They're controlling play and getting chances, but things aren't showing up on the scoreboard.
The Flyers and Tampa will see each other twice in the next four days. The former would like at least one of those to be a win.
Philadelphia Flyers
With the struggles the Flyers have had in finishing on their chances, it wasn't a surprise to see a slight shakeup to the lines before this evening's game. No one needs to get their game going more than Travis Konecny. He still hasn't been able to find the back of the net and without his offense, there has been a big hole in the lineup. Konecny's production, or lack there of, is evident in the team's recent games.
The Flyers will be without Rasmus Ristolainen tonight for undisclosed reasons. John Tortorella simply referred to him as "banged up." That will cause a shakeup to the defensive pairings, but allows Emil Andrae to keep getting his chances. Losing Ristolainen's physicality hurts, especially with plenty of firepower on the other side. It will be even more important to keep them out of the zone and make them work harder for their opportunities.
Sam Ersson will be back in the net after Ivan Fedotov started the previous two games. He will need to be sharp in this one as the Lightning have the second best goals per game average. They have two players in the top-20 in scoring and two in the top-10 in goals. Being sharp early and often is key for Ersson.
Flyers Projected Roster
Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Sean Couturier - Matvei Michkov
Olle Lycksell - Ryan Poehling - Bobby Brink
Nic Deslauriers - Rodrigo Abols - Jakob Pelletier
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae - Egor Zamula
Sam Ersson
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are easily on their way to another successful season. They are third in the Atlantic, three points shy of the second place Leafs and five from the first place Panthers. While they've lost two straight, they are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. The losses have been tough, a 4-1 loss to Carolina and a 4-0 shutout to Boston. They have not lost three straight since the beginning of January.
Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel sit tied for eighth in goal scoring, each with 32 on the year. Point has scored 30+ for the fifth time in his career. Guentzel is on a point-per-game pace with 63 points in 63 games. Nikita Kucherov is likely to break the century mark again as he is third in the league with 92 points. Kucherov is a game-time decision due to illness, however.
The Flyers catch a break as Jonas Johansson will be starting for Tampa Bay. He's appeared in just 14 games this season and this will be just his second start since the end of January as he recently returned from injury. He won his last start, making 31 saves against Columbus. Johansson has a 3.15 GAA and a .896 SV%.
Lightning Projected Roster
Jake Guentzel - Brayden Point - Nick Paul
Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Zemgus Girgensons
Gage Goncalves - Yanni Gourde - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Cam Atkinson - Luke Glendening - Mitchell Chaffee
Victor Hedman - J.J. Moser
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg - Nick Perbix
Jonas Johansson
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 7:00
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTv
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