Flyers-Flames: Game 4 Preview

After forcing overtime to keep their early-season points streak alive, the Flyers suffered their first loss in a shootout in their last game on Saturday.

Their road trip takes them to Calgary now, where they will start their first back-to-back of the season against the Flames.

Game time is at 9 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Calgary Flames	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	3	3	3	6	Johnny Gaudreau	6	3	4	7
Ivan Provorov	3	1	2	3	Matthew Tkachuk	6	2	4	6
Oskar Lindblom	3	2	1	3	Sean Monahan	6	2	2	4
Matt Niskanen	3	0	2	2	Elias Lindholm	6	3	1	4
Sean Couturier	3	1	0	1	Mark Giordano	6	1	2	3

Player to Watch
93 Jake Voracek	13 Johnny Gaudreau
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, -1	Last 5 Games: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, +3

In Saturday's game, Jake Voracek played just 14:30 and was shuffled off the top line. Alain Vigneault noted on Monday that he felt Voracek was making "uncharacteristic" decisions with the puck, and it led to the demotion. Following those actions, we'll see how Voracek, who still has no points this season, responds.

Johnny Gaudreau is always one to watch and he is off to another hot start this season with three goals and seven points in the first six games. The South Jersey native has four goals and 13 points in nine games against the Flyers.

Projected Goalie Matchup
37 Brian Elliott	33 David Rittich
2018-19: 11-11-1, 2.96 GAA, .907 SV%	5 GP, 2-2-1, 3.16 GAA, .906 SV%

Brian Elliott makes his season debut in the first of back-to-back games for the Flyers this week. Elliott gets the start against his former team in Calgary, where he posted a 26-18-3 record, 2.55 GAA and .910 save percentage in the 2016-17 season.

David Rittich has started five of the six games Calgary has played so far this season. In each of his three losses this season, Rittich has allowed four goals or more. His two wins include a 34-save shutout on Oct. 5.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick

Scratches: Sam Morin, Connor Bunnaman

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux	13 Kevin Hayes	93 Jake Voracek
23 Oskar Lindblom	14 Sean Couturier	11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk	21 Scott Laughton	81 Carsen Twarynski
44 Chris Stewart	12 Michael Raffl	18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim	15 Matt Niskanen
8 Robert Hagg	53 Shayne Gostisbehere
Goalie
37 Brian Elliott	79 Carter Hart

Lineup Notes

Aside from the change in goal, the only change to the lineup is Chris Stewart slotting in for Connor Bunnaman on the fourth line.

Flames Projected Lineup

Injuries: Juuso Valimaki

Scratches: Tobias Rieder, Michael Stone

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
13 Johnny Gaudreau	23 Sean Monahan	28 Elias Lindholm
19 Matthew Tkachuk	11 Mikael Backlund	67 Michael Frolik
17 Milan Lucic	10 Derek Ryan	88 Andrew Mangiapane
93 Sam Bennett	77 Mark Jankowski	27 Austin Czarnik
Defense
5 Mark Giordano	7 T.J. Brodie
55 Noah Hanifin	24 Travis Hamonic
Oliver Kylington	4 Rasmus Andersson
Goalie
33 David Rittich	39 Cam Talbot

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-2nd), Flames (21st)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (7th), Flames (15th)
Recent History vs. Flames
- Dec. 12, 2018 - Flames 6, Flyers 5 (F/OT) (at CGY)
- Jan. 5, 2019 - Flames 3, Flyers 2 (F/OT) (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Flames
- Claude Giroux - 16 GP, 2 G, 12 A, 14 P
- Jake Voracek - 24 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P
- Sean Couturier - 12 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 P
- Brian Elliott - 14 GP, 9-3-1, 1.96 GAA, .925 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR/97.3 ESPN

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.