Flyers-Panthers: Game 58 Preview
This could be the Flyers biggest test yet. Thursday night marks the first game back on the ice since a crushing 5-3 defeat to the Islanders where at least one standings point was snatched from their grasp with a last-minute goal.
The Flyers next opponent is one they defeated just days ago. The Flyers took care of the Florida Panthers in a 4-1 win on Monday night. Now the two teams meet again in Florida on Thursday night.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Florida Panthers | GP | G | A | P |
Sean Couturier | 57 | 16 | 34 | 50 | Jonathan Huberdeau | 56 | 19 | 49 | 68 |
Travis Konecny | 54 | 19 | 28 | 47 | Aleksander Barkov | 53 | 16 | 39 | 55 |
Jake Voracek | 57 | 11 | 32 | 43 | Mike Hoffman | 56 | 21 | 25 | 46 |
Claude Giroux | 57 | 15 | 26 | 41 | Evgenii Dadonov | 56 | 23 | 18 | 41 |
James van Riemsdyk | 57 | 16 | 18 | 34 | Keith Yandle | 56 | 5 | 35 | 40 |
Player to Watch | |
14 Sean Couturier | 11 Jonathan Huberdeau |
Last 5 Games: 3 G, 1 A, 4 P, +4 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, -2 |
Projected Goalie Matchup | |
79 Carter Hart | 72 Sergei Bobrovsky |
33 GP, 16-11-3, 2.55 GAA, .908 SV% | 43 GP, 20-16-5, 3.27 GAA, .898 SV% |
Carter Hart made his return from injury against Florida on Monday night, making 30 saves in a 4-1 win. Hart allowed an early goal to the Panthers in the first period before locking things down to secure the win.
Sergei Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 33 shots in Monday's loss, the fourth straight for him. In the last three games, Bobrovsky has allowed 12 goals. Bobrovsky has typically been a thorn in the Flyers side for years, but this season, he has struggled at times and looked much more beatable than in past years. He will be looking to snap his losing streak on Thursday.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Nolan Patrick (migrane disorder, out indefinitely), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma, out for season)
Scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere, Morgan Frost
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
49 Joel Farabee | 13 Kevin Hayes | 11 Travis Konecny |
25 James van Riemsdyk | 21 Scott Laughton | 18 Tyler Pitlick |
12 Michael Raffl | 82 Connor Bunnaman | 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 15 Matt Niskanen | |
6 Travis Sanheim | 5 Phil Myers | |
8 Robert Hagg | 61 Justin Braun | |
Goalie | ||
79 Carter Hart | 37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
The Flyers will make no changes to the lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Panthers.
Panthers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Chris Drieder, Brian Boyle
Scratches: Denis Malgin, Jayce Hawryluk
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
11 Jonathan Huberdeau | 16 Aleksander Barkov | 63 Evgenii Dadonov |
68 Mike Hoffman | 21 Vincent Trocheck | 10 Brett Connolly |
77 Frank Vatrano | 14 Dominic Toninato | 7 Colton Sceviour |
19 Michael Matheson | 55 Noel Acciari | 13 Mark Pysyk |
Defense | ||
52 MacKenzie Weegar | 5 Aaron Ekblad | |
61 Riley Stillman | 6 Anton Stralman | |
3 Keith Yandle | 2 Josh Brown | |
Goalie | ||
72 Sergei Bobrovsky | 33 Samuel Montembeault |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-19th), Panthers (9th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (12th), Panthers (24th)
- Recent History vs. Panthers
- Nov. 19, 2019 - Panthers 5, Flyers 2 (at FLA)
- Feb. 10, 2020 - Flyers 4, Panthers 1 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Panthers
- Claude Giroux - 39 GP, 10 G, 15 A, 25 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 31 GP, 9 G, 10 A, 19 P
- Travis Konecny - 10 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 P
- Carter Hart - 3 GP, 1-2-0, 2.82 GAA, .918 SV%
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs two power-play assists to pass Bobby Clarke for first on the Flyers all-time list.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.