Flyers-Stars Preview: Ellis, Hayes Return to Lineup

Carter Hart stole the show in Carolina as the Flyers bounced back from yet another loss to grab two big points against the Metro Division leaders. Now, they close out another back-to-back by going back to the Western Conference.

A weekend road trip comes complete with a visit to Dallas to face the Stars on Saturday night.

Game time is 8 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Dallas Stars	GP	G	A	P
Claude Giroux	12	5	7	12	Miro Heiskanen	12	3	9	12
Sean Couturier	12	5	7	12	Tyler Seguin	12	4	3	7
Cam Atkinson	12	6	2	8	Joe Pavelski	12	3	4	7
Travis Konecny	12	4	4	8	Ryan Suter	12	1	5	6
Justin Braun	12	1	7	8	Alexander Radulov	12	1	5	6

Joel Farabee finally got back in the goal column on Friday night, scoring for the first time since the third game of the season on Oct. 20. Perhaps that can get him going on another hot streak.

Miro Heiskanen not only has five points in the last five games, but he's the Stars only point-per-game player on the season. The smooth-skating defenseman has been a standout in the league in the last couple of seasons, and can certainly jump into the offense in many ways.

Martin Jones makes the start for the Flyers on Saturday. Jones last played the previous Saturday in Washington, making 31 saves in a 2-1 win. Jones has been excellent so far on the season, and allowed just one goal each in his last two starts.

Anton Khudobin gets the start for Dallas. Khudobin last played on Nov. 7, allowing five goals on 35 shots in a loss to Vancouver. This is just his third appearance this month and sixth overall this season.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Patrick Brown (healthy)

Stars Scratches: Braden Holtby (injury), Joel Hanley (healthy), Joel Kiviranta (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Both Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes will return from injury on Saturday. Hayes moves back into the second-line center role with Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson. Ellis will play on the third pairing with Keith Yandle. Patrick Brown exits the lineup as a healthy scratch. Nicolas Aube-Kubel was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche.
Stars: Braden Holtby is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so Jake Oettinger was called up to play backup. Joel Kiviranta also appears to be coming out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (22nd), Stars (3rd)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (12th), Stars (25th)
Recent History vs. Stars
- Oct. 19, 2019 - Stars 4, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
- April 2, 2019 - Stars 6, Flyers 2 (at DAL)
- Jan. 10, 2019 - Flyers 2, Stars 1 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Stars
- Claude Giroux - 18 GP, 3 G, 13 A, 16 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 18 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 P
- Travis Konecny - 7 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 P
- Cam Atkinson - 21 GP, 6 G, 5 A, 11 P
- Martin Jones - 10 GP, 3-7-0, 3.15 GAA, .878 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Travis Konecny needs two goals to reach 100 for his career.
- Ryan Ellis needs two assists to reach 200 for his career.
- Claude Giroux needs four power-play points to pass Bobby Clarke for the Flyers all-time franchise lead.