Flyers-Sabres: Game 68 Preview
With their eighth straight win on Thursday and an overtime loss for the Capitals, the Flyers moved into a tie for the Metropolitan Division lead. By the time they take the ice and go for their ninth straight, they will know whether they have the chance to grab sole possession of the division lead as well.
The Capitals face the Penguins on Saturday afternoon, and the Flyers will certainly be in tune to that game as they prepare for their own matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, a team out of the playoff picture and currently on a five-game losing streak.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Buffalo Sabres | GP | G | A | P |
Travis Konecny | 64 | 24 | 37 | 61 | Jack Eichel | 66 | 35 | 42 | 77 |
Sean Couturier | 67 | 22 | 37 | 59 | Sam Reinhart | 67 | 22 | 28 | 50 |
Jake Voracek | 67 | 12 | 42 | 54 | Victor Olofsson | 52 | 19 | 21 | 40 |
Claude Giroux | 67 | 19 | 32 | 51 | Rasmus Dahlin | 57 | 4 | 34 | 38 |
Kevin Hayes | 67 | 23 | 18 | 41 | Rasmus Ristolainen | 67 | 6 | 26 | 32 |
Player to Watch | |
13 Kevin Hayes | 9 Jack Eichel |
Last 5 Games: 4 G, 2 A, 6 P, +5 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, -8 |
Projected Goalie Matchup | |
79 Carter Hart | 40 Carter Hutton |
41 GP, 23-12-3, 2.47 GAA, .911 SV% | 30 GP, 12-13-4, 3.18 GAA, .898 SV% |
Carter Hart was once again solid in goal, making 28 saves in Thursday's win over Carolina and improving his home record to 19-2-2. Riding a personal six-game winning streak, Hart will be back in goal against Buffalo on Saturday night. He made 16 saves in the Flyers 6-1 win over the Sabres on Dec. 19.
Carter Hutton gets the start for the Sabres on Saturday night. Hutton was in goal for the Sabres loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday night, making 32 saves on 35 shots. Hutton has lost his last three starts four of his last five since a four-game winning streak from Feb. 7-16.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: James van Riemsdyk (broken right hand, out indefinitely), Nolan Patrick (migrane disorder, out indefinitely), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma, out for season)
Scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
49 Joel Farabee | 13 Kevin Hayes | 11 Travis Konecny |
21 Scott Laughton | 38 Derek Grant | 18 Tyler Pitlick |
12 Michael Raffl | 44 Nate Thompson | 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
In the midst of an eight-game winning streak, it should be no surprise that there are no changes to the lineup.
Sabres Projected Lineup
Injuries: Tage Thompson, Matt Hunwick, Vladimir Sobotka, Lawrence Pilut
Scratches: Michael Frolik
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
53 Jeff Skinner | 9 Jack Eichel | 23 Sam Reinhart |
68 Victor Olofsson | 90 Marcus Johansson | 95 Dominik Kahun |
13 Jimmy Vesey | 27 Curtis Lazar | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
28 Zemgus Girgensons | 22 Johan Larsson | 21 Kyle Okposo |
Defense | ||
26 Rasmus Dahlin | 62 Brandon Montour | |
19 Jake McCabe | 55 Rasmus Ristolainen | |
33 Colin Miller | 10 Henri Jokiharju | |
Goalie | ||
40 Carter Hutton | 35 Linus Ullmark |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-8th), Sabres (19th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (12th), Sabres (31st)
- Recent History vs. Sabres
- Nov. 21, 2018 - Sabres 5, Flyers 2 (at BUF)
- Dec. 8, 2018 - Flyers 6, Sabres 2 (at BUF)
- Feb. 26, 2019 - Flyers 5, Sabres 2 (at PHI)
- Dec. 19, 2019 - Flyers 6, Sabres 1 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Sabres
- Claude Giroux - 37 GP, 8 G, 29 A, 37 P
- Travis Konecny - 10 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 P
- Jake Voracek - 30 GP, 4 G, 18 A, 22 P
- Kevin Hayes - 14 GP, 1 G, 9 A, 10 P
- Carter Hart - 1 GP, 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .941 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.