After a convincing win against the Oilers on Saturday, the Flyers are back at home to take on the Penguins for the third time this season.
The two teams will meet again on Thursday in Pittsburgh to finish off the home-and-home and the season series. Each team has won a game thus far.
Philadelphia Flyers
It was only one game, but the Flyers effort against the Oilers was one of their best of the season. Having the two-week break did plenty of players well and it showed. Now, they can't let up as crunch time arrives. With just a few games until the trade deadline and 24 left in the regular season, the games are only going to get more intense. Nothing is more intense than playing your rival, though.
The Flyers broke a three-game losing streak to Pittsburgh the last time these two teams faced before the break. The Penguins have the better of things over the last 10 games, holding a 6-4-0 record. But they aren't the same team they used to be. They still have a few big names, but goaltending has been their biggest issue lately. If the Flyers can jump on them early and keep the momentum going from Saturday, they have a good chance.
That starts with the line of Owen Tippett, Sean Couturier, and Matvei Michkov. The three showed remarkable chemistry against the Oilers, combining for seven points and flat out dominating Edmonton whenever they were out there. Andrei Kuzmenko has played well in his two games thus far, scoring his first with the Flyers on Saturday. And Jakob Pelletier has finally gotten involved as well. They'll try to get him more acclimated over the next few weeks. This team doesn't have much time to make noise, so they must take advantage now.
Flyers Projected Roster
Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Andrei Kuzmenko - Scott Laughton - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Sean Couturier - Matvei Michkov
Jakob Pelletier - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula - Rasmus Ristolainen
Sam Ersson
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are not where they want to be. Last in the division and seven points out of a wild card spot, Pittsburgh is primed to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Their stars are getting older, though they are still producing at a high level at times. They have lost their last three games, dating back to the final game before the break. In their last two games, they gave up a combined 13 goals, eight of those coming against the Capitals.
If you want to look at the bright spots, Sidney Crosby leads the team with 60 points, 11 more than the next closest teammate. He has nine points during a seven-game point streak and 12 points in his last 10 games. Crosby missed the previous game against Philadelphia but has posted three points in back-to-back games against them dating back to last season. He has only been held off the scoresheet twice in his previous 10 games against the Flyers.
Alex Nedeljkovic was pulled from his last start against Washington, giving up five goals on 13 shots. The second-year Penguin has had a decent stretch of play prior to his last outing. He had won three of his last four, posting a shutout against Nashville and not allowing more than two goals in his other games. On the season, he has a 3.06 GAA and a .895 SV%.
Penguins Projected Roster
Anthony Beauvillier - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
Danton Heinen - Evgeni Malkin - Cody Glass
Michael Bunting - Kevin Hayes - Philip Tomasino
Matthew Nieto - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Pierre-Olivier Joseph - Kris Letang
Matt Grzelcyk - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves - Ryan Shea
Alex Nedeljkovic
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTv
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