Flyers-Wild: Game 32 Preview
This game night takes on a different meaning. The Flyers are in the midst of a three-game road trip that continues on Saturday and will wrap up this weekend. But as the news was revealed of Oskar Lindblom's diagnosis with Ewing's sarcoma on Friday, it was something much bigger than anything that could happen on the ice.
With Lindblom certainly on their minds, the Flyers will get back on the ice for the first time since a 3-1 loss in Colorado, looking to get back to the win column. They take on the Minnesota Wild, a team that has been very good on home ice to the tune of an 8-1-3 record this season.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Minnesota Wild | GP | G | A | P |
Travis Konecny | 30 | 11 | 17 | 28 | Jason Zucker | 32 | 12 | 11 | 23 |
Sean Couturier | 31 | 8 | 15 | 23 | Eric Staal | 32 | 9 | 14 | 23 |
Jake Voracek | 31 | 6 | 16 | 22 | Zach Parise | 32 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
Claude Giroux | 31 | 10 | 12 | 22 | Mats Zuccarello | 28 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
Ivan Provorov | 31 | 7 | 12 | 19 | Ryan Suter | 32 | 3 | 15 | 18 |
Player to Watch | |
13 Kevin Hayes | 16 Jason Zucker |
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, -1 | Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, +3 |
Projected Goalie Matchup | |
79 Carter Hart | 32 Alex Stalock |
20 GP, 10-6-3, 2.43 GAA, .908 SV% | 17 GP, 8-4-2, 2.91 GAA, .906 SV% |
The Flyers did not have a morning skate and have not announced a goalie for tonight, but the two netminders on the team will split action this weekend. It appears that Carter Hart will get the start in Minnesota on Saturday night. Hart was on the losing end of the 3-1 decision to Colorado, stopping 24 of 27 shots faced. The loss to Colorado snapped a personal four-game winning streak for Hart.
Alex Stalock has been leaned on lately with Devan Dubnyk battling an injury. He won three games in a row to close out November and start December, but did suffer the loss to Carolina in his last start last Saturday, allowing five goals on 39 shots.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Oskar Lindblom, Travis Konecny, Michael Raffl, Nolan Patrick
Scratches: Robert Hagg
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
21 Scott Laughton | 13 Kevin Hayes | 49 Joel Farabee |
25 James van Riemsdyk | 48 Morgan Frost | 18 Tyler Pitlick |
72 David Kase | 24 Mikhail Vorobyev | 44 Chris Stewart |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 15 Matt Niskanen | |
6 Travis Sanheim | 61 Justin Braun | |
53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 5 Phil Myers | |
Goalie | ||
79 Carter Hart | 37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
Phil Myers is expected to be back in the lineup, which would likely bring Robert Hagg back out of the lineup. The forward group remains the same from the last game on Wednesday.
Wild Projected Lineup
Injuries: Devan Dubnyk, Jared Spurgeon, Mikko Koivu, Greg Pateryn
Scratches: Nick Seeler
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
16 Jason Zucker | 12 Eric Staal | 36 Mats Zuccarello |
11 Zach Parise | 6 Ryan Donato | 22 Kevin Fiala |
18 Jordan Greenway | 14 Joel Eriksson Ek | 19 Luke Kunin |
17 Marcus Foligno | 49 Victor Rask | 38 Ryan Hartman |
Defense | ||
20 Ryan Suter | 24 Mathew Dumba | |
21 Carson Soucy | 25 Jonas Brodin | |
77 Brad Hunt | 61 Brennan Menell | |
Goalie | ||
32 Alex Stalock | 31 Kaapo Kahkonen |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (19th), Wild (17th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (5th), Wild (23rd)
- Recent History vs. Wild
- Jan. 14, 2019 - Flyers 7, Wild 4 (at PHI)
- Feb. 12, 2019 - Flyers 5, Wild 4 (at MIN)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Wild
- Jake Voracek - 23 GP, 3 G, 16 A, 19 P
- Travis Sanheim - 4 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 P
- Claude Giroux - 15 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 P
- Carter Hart - 1 GP, 1-0-0, 4.00 GAA, .895 SV%
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.