Flyers-Coyotes: Game 29 Preview
After opening the floodgates late in their last game, the Flyers winning streak is at five games, their longest of the season. The push for six straight wins continues on home ice as the Flyers face the Arizona Coyotes.
The Coyotes are fresh off a 4-2 win over Columbus, bringing their record to 16-9-4 on the season. They quietly have gotten off to a hot start, sitting in second place in the Pacific Division.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Arizona Coyotes | GP | G | A | P |
| Travis Konecny | 28 | 10 | 17 | 27 | Nick Schmaltz | 29 | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| Sean Couturier | 28 | 8 | 13 | 21 | Alex Goligoski | 29 | 2 | 15 | 17 |
| Claude Giroux | 28 | 9 | 11 | 20 | Clayton Keller | 29 | 5 | 12 | 17 |
| Jake Voracek | 28 | 6 | 14 | 20 | Christian Dvorak | 29 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Oskar Lindblom | 28 | 11 | 7 | 18 | Carl Soderberg | 29 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 36 Christian Fischer |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, +5 | Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, +4 |
| Projected Goalie Matchup | |
| 37 Brian Elliott | 35 Darcy Kuemper |
| 14 GP, 7-2-2, 2.70 GAA, .916 SV% | 19 GP, 11-6-2, 1.97 GAA, .936 SV% |
Brian Elliott gets the start in goal on Thursday night. Elliott was stellar in Montreal on Saturday, making 39 saves in a 4-3 overtime win. Elliott has won his last three starts to improve to 7-2-2 on the season.
Darcy Kuemper has been one of the NHL's best goalies this season, leading the league with a 1.97 GAA and .936 save percentage. Kuemper is expected to get the start in Philadelphia. Against the Flyers, his career numbers are not great. He has a 1-2-1 record with a 3.78 GAA and .886 save percentage in four games against the Flyers.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Michael Raffl, Nolan Patrick
Scratches: Chris Stewart, Mikhail Vorobyev
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 23 Oskar Lindblom | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 48 Morgan Frost | 11 Travis Konecny |
| 49 Joel Farabee | 13 Kevin Hayes | 21 Scott Laughton |
| 25 James van Riemsdyk | 18 Tyler Pitlick | |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 15 Matt Niskanen | |
| 6 Travis Sanheim | 61 Justin Braun | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 5 Phil Myers | 8 Robert Hagg |
| Goalie | ||
| 37 Brian Elliott | 79 Carter Hart |
Lineup Notes
Mikhail Vorobyev was called up on Wednesday to replace the injured Michael Raffl, but he will be out of the lineup on Thursday. The Flyers are choosing to play seven defensemen, meaning Robert Hagg will come back into the lineup and rotate the other forwards to the fourth line throughout the game.
Coyotes Projected Lineup
Injuries: Niklas Hjalmarsson
Scratches: Michael Chaput, Barrett Hayton, Aaron Ness
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 9 Clayton Keller | 21 Derek Stepan | 13 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| 18 Christian Dvorak | 8 Nick Schmaltz | 83 Conor Garland |
| 67 Lawson Crouse | 34 Carl Soderberg | 81 Phil Kessel |
| 40 Michael Grabner | 15 Brad Richardson | 36 Christian Fischer |
| Defense | ||
| 23 Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 55 Jason Demers | |
| 6 Jakob Chychrun | 33 Alex Goligoski | |
| 82 Jordan Oesterle | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Darcy Kuemper | 32 Antti Raanta |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (15th), Coyotes (T-13th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-3rd), Coyotes (16th)
- Recent History vs. Coyotes
- Nov. 5, 2018 - Flyers 5, Coyotes 2 (at ARI)
- Nov. 8, 2018 - Flyers 5, Coyotes 4 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Coyotes
- Claude Giroux - 16 GP, 7 G, 10 A, 17 P
- Shayne Gostisbehere - 7 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 8 P
- Kevin Hayes - 10 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 P
- Sean Couturier - 14 GP, 4 G, 8 A, 12 P
- Brian Elliott - 15 GP, 10-2-1, 2.14 GAA, .921 SV%
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
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