Philadelphia Flyers vs. Detroit Red Wings: How to Watch, Lineups, Keys to the Game

It's down to four games remaining on the schedule for the Philadelphia Flyers (40-26-12) and their next game comes against a very familiar opponent. It was just 12 days earlier that the Flyers traveled to face the Detroit Red Wings (40-29-9) for the first time this season.

Now the two teams meet again for the final time this season, both with playoff hopes hanging in the balance. Game time is at 7 PM.

How to Watch

• Time: 7 PM
• Location: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia+
• Radio: Rock 104.1 and the Rock 104.1 Free Mobile App
• Streaming: ESPN+

Projected Flyers Lines vs. Red Wings

Forwards

71 Tyson Foerster - 46 Trevor Zegras - 74 Owen Tippett
11 Travis Konecny - 22 Christian Dvorak - 94 Porter Martone
20 Alex Bump - 27 Noah Cates - 39 Matvei Michkov
52 Denver Barkey - 14 Sean Couturier - 41 Luke Glendening

Defense

6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
8 Cam York - 9 Jamie Drysdale
24 Nick Seeler - 36 Emil Andrae

Goalies

80 Dan Vladar
33 Sam Ersson

Scratches: Carl Grundstrom, Garnet Hathaway, Noah Juulsen, Garrett Wilson

Injury & Roster Updates

• Lineup Updates: No changes are expected to the Flyers' lineup.
• Starting Goalie: Dan Vladar gets the start for the Flyers. Vladar is 27-13-7 on the season with a 2.40 GAA and .907 save percentage. He made 23 saves on 24 shots in a win over the Devils on Tuesday. Vladar got the win over Detroit on March 28, making 32 saves on 35 shots.
• Injuries
  • Nikita Grebenkin: upper-body injury, out 7-to-10 days
  • Rodrigo Abols: fractured ankle, out at least two months from Jan. 21

Opponent Snapshot: Detroit Red Wings

• Opponent record: 40-29-9
• Special Teams Ranking
  • Power Play: 22.4% (12th)
  • Penalty Kill: 77.2% (23rd)
• Who’s hot?: Alex DeBrincat has six goals and 19 points in the last 14 games. Patrick Kane has three goals and 11 points in the last seven games. Dylan Larkin has three goals and seven points in the last nine games. Moritz Seider has eight assists in the last nine games.
• Who’s in net?: John Gibson gets the start for the Red Wings. Gibson is 28-20-4 this season with a 2.63 GAA and .904 save percentage. He made 32 saves on 35 shots in a shootout loss to Columbus on Tuesday. Gibson has lost six of his last eight starts, including to Philadelphia on March 28, allowing four goals on 21 shots. He got the win over the Flyers last Thursday, making 32 saves on 34 shots.
• Injuries: Michael Rasmussen recently returned from injury, but will be out again after leaving Tuesday's game early. Mason Appleton is out for Thursday's game with an upper-body injury.

Keys to the Game

• The Rubber Match: Three games between these two teams in a matter of 12 days. They have split the two games so far, with the road team winning each. Things are much different now than they were then in the standings, and the Flyers have a chance to not only claim the series, but really take care of the Red Wings' playoff chances.
• Road Warriors: The Flyers have won 10 of their last 11 games on the road, becoming a truly elite team away from home. Another win on the road in Detroit, like they had about two weeks earlier, would be huge for their playoff hopes.
• Opportunity Knocks: Both games between these two teams have been about taking advantage of opportunities, especially off the rush. That should be a factor once again in this game.

By the Numbers

• The Flyers have a 9-10-3 record against the Atlantic Division this season. The Red Wings are 8-10-4 against the Metropolitan Division.
• The Flyers are 21-5-4 when scoring the first goal. The Red Wings are 25-6-2 when scoring first. Both teams scored the first goal in their wins in the season series.
• Trevor Zegras has five goals and 10 points in nine career games against the Red Wings. Travis Konecny has six goals and 18 points in 23 career games against Detroit. Alex DeBrincat has 11 goals and 14 points in 19 career games against the Flyers.

Quotable

• "We're playing a lot of games. It's tough at this time to drum up energy and we're finding it. Vladdy made an unreal couple of saves on the PK. Who knows if it goes in there? And the special teams. We won the special teams battle. The PK was good and we got a power-play goal, so give the guys credit to keep grinding away with the special teams." - Rick Tocchet following Tuesday's win over the Devils

X-Factors

• Matvei Michkov: Michkov has been heating up lately with 12 points over his last 12 games, but also five over the last three games. The Flyers have added plenty of elements late this season. Could a resurgence for Michkov be another?
• Alex DeBrincat: DeBrincat has been red-hot for the Red Wings during the stretch run, even if the team's record doesn't reflect it. In the two games against the Flyers, he has three goals.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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