Flyers-Kings: Game 49 Preview

After a 4-1 loss to Montreal on Thursday, a few players noted that a letdown is usually possible after an emotional win. Head coach Alain Vigneault wasn't buying it. Vigneault stated that every game is worth the same two points and that the team needs to be ready to go and execute.

The Flyers next game comes against another team outside of playoff position. The Los Angeles Kings come to town on Saturday night and it is a game the Flyers certainly feel the need to come away with a better result.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Los Angeles Kings	GP	G	A	P
Sean Couturier	48	13	28	41	Anze Kopitar	49	17	26	43
Travis Konecny	45	15	25	40	Tyler Toffoli	48	12	15	27
Jake Voracek	48	9	28	37	Alex Iafallo	49	10	17	27
Claude Giroux	48	13	19	32	Drew Doughty	49	6	21	27
Kevin Hayes	48	14	12	26	Jeff Carter	49	14	9	23

Player to Watch
93 Jake Voracek	77 Jeff Carter
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +4	Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, -3

Jake Voracek has just one goal in the last 12 games, but it was an important one in overtime against St. Louis. Despite the overall lack of production, Voracek has been more committed to defensive play and showing more energy of late.

Jeff Carter comes into the game with a two-game goal streak and faces his former team. Carter has three goals and five points in 10 career games against the Flyers.

Projected Goalie Matchup
37 Brian Elliott	36 Jack Campbell
22 GP, 10-5-3, 3.14 GAA, .897 SV%	18 GP, 7-9-2, 2.83 GAA, .902 SV%

Brian Elliott was excellent in St. Louis, making 30 saves in the overtime win. Elliott is likely going to get at least the next two starts as the Flyers await the return of Carter Hart from injury. Elliott is looking for redemption from his last start against the Kings, where he allowed four goals on 15 shots through two periods.

Jack Campbell gets the start for the Kings against the Flyers. Campbell suffered a defeat in his last game, allowing four goals on 26 shots to the Panthers. His last win came on Jan. 9 against Vegas, where he stopped 44 of 46 shots. He has lost six of his last nine starts and and allowed three goals or more in five of them.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Carter Hart (lower right abdominal, 2-to-3 weeks), Shayne Gostisbehere (knee, 3 weeks), Nolan Patrick (migrane disorder, out indefinitely), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma, out for season)

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
25 James van Riemsdyk	28 Claude Giroux	11 Travis Konecny
12 Michael Raffl	14 Sean Couturier	93 Jake Voracek
21 Scott Laughton	13 Kevin Hayes	62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
49 Joel Farabee	82 Connor Bunnaman	18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	15 Matt Niskanen
6 Travis Sanheim	5 Phil Myers
8 Robert Hagg	61 Justin Braun
Goalie
37 Brian Elliott	34 Alex Lyon

Lineup Notes

Justin Braun returns to the lineup and Mark Friedman exits. Braun will play alongside Robert Hagg. Some of the other lines have been shuffled, notably with Claude Giroux going back to center between James van Riemsdyk and Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes centering the third line between Scott Laughton and Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

Canadiens Projected Lineup

Injuries: Blake Lizotte

Scratches: Matt Luff, Kurtis MacDermid

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
19 Alex Iafallo	11 Anze Kopitar	73 Tyler Toffoli
13 Kyle Clifford	77 Jeff Carter	23 Dustin Brown
9 Adrian Kempe	10 Mike Amadio	51 Austin Wagner
74 Nikolai Prokhorkin	28 Jaret Anderson-Dolan	22 Trevor Lewis
Defense
27 Alec Martinez	8 Drew Doughty
24 Derek Forbort	26 Sean Walker
15 Ben Hutton	3 Matt Roy
Goalie
36 Jack Campbell	32 Jonathan Quick

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-19th), Kings (26th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (12th), Kings (28th)
Recent History vs. Kings
- Nov. 1, 2018 - Flyers 5, Kings 2 (at LA)
- Feb. 7, 2019 - Kings 3, Flyers 2 (F/SO) (at PHI)
- Dec. 31, 2019 - Kings 5, Flyers 3 (at LA)
Flyers Leaders vs. Kings
- Claude Giroux - 18 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 P
- Jake Voracek - 26 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P
- Kevin Hayes - 10 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 7 P
- Brian Elliott - 18 GP, 6-8-2, 2.54 GAA, .912 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.