The two teams facing off tonight are looking to take their momentum from their come-from-behind wins into this afternoon’s game.
As some of you know, the Philadelphia Flyers won a hockey game (!!!) 2 days ago in San Jose. The Flyers trailed 3-1 in the 3rd period until they didn’t. Owen Tippett cut the lead in half 5 minutes in, and it started with Nick Seeler making a pinch on the left half boards, winning the puck, passing it down low to JVR who was set up behind goal and he fed it to a sneaky Tippett who quietly floated into the left circle as all 5 Sharks had their heads locked in on the guy behind the net. With 2 minutes to go, Travis Konecny continued being red hot, potting his 2nd of the night and 17th in 30 games played. Finally, Tony DeAngelo sealed the deal in OT on a give and go with Ivan Provorov.
On the other side of the league, and when I say other side, I meant the top half of the NHL (the good ones), was the Los Angeles Kings making a furious comeback after allowing 4 goals in the second period to the Colorado Avalanche. Alex Iafallo (6) and Sean Walker (2) were the two Kings credited with goals to tie it in the third period. Viktor Arvidsson scored the game-winning goal in the shootout.
The Flyers will want to stay out of the box today against a 13th overall LA power play ranking, compared to their measly 31st rank on the power play. Fortunately, LA has not been as impressive suppressing goals, ranking 24th in goals against, and possessing a 28th-ranked penalty kill while the Flyers are 23rd in that department.
PHI Record: 12-17-7, 31 pts, 7th in Metropolitan
LAK Record: 21-12-6, 48 pts, 2nd in Pacific
Last Game PHI: 12/29/22, 4-3 OTW at San Jose
Last Game LAK: 12/29/22, 6-2 W vs. Colorado
When: 4:00 pm ET
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
PHI Goalie: Samuel Ersson (1-6-1, .888 SV%, 3.37 GAA, 0 SO)
LAK Goalie: Pheonix Copley (8-1-0, .905 SV%, 2.85 GAA, 0 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup
#25 James van Riemsdyk – #48 Morgan Frost – #74 Owen Tippett
#86 Joel Farabee – #49 Noah Cates – #11 Travis Konecny
#13 Kevin Hayes – #21 Scott Laughton – #57 Wade Allison
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #38 Patrick Brown – #17 Zack MacEwen
#9 Ivan Provorov – #45 Cam York
#6 Travis Sanheim – #77 Tony DeAngelo
#24 Nick Seeler – #70 Rasmus Ristolainen
#33 Samuel Ersson
#32 Felix Sandström
LAK Projected Lineup
#22 Kevin Fiala – #11 Anže Kopitar – #9 Adrian Kempe
#19 Alex Iafallo – #24 Phillip Danault – #33 Viktor Arvidsson
#28 Jaret Anderson-Dolan – #46 Blake Lizotte – #13 Gabriel Vilardi
#48 Brendan Lemieux – #55 Quinton Byfield – #89 Rasmus Kupari
#44 Mikey Anderson – #8 Drew Doughty
#50 Sean Durzi – #3 Matt Roy
#2 Alexander Elder – #26 Sean Walker
#29 Pheonix Copley
#32 Jonathan Quick
PHI Injuries: Cam Atkinson (neck), Sean Couturier (back), Bobby Brink (hip), Ryan Ellis (hip), Carter Hart (concussion), Tanner Lacyznski (lower-body)
Scratches: Justin Braun, Olle Lycksell
LAK Injuries: Trevor Moore (undisclosed), Arthur Kaliyev (lower-body)
Scratches: Jordan Spence, Carl Grundström
News and Notes
– Travis Konecny continues his tear, with 17g,17a (34pts) in 30 games, meaning he could not only score 30 goals, but it may be 35+ by the end of the season if he continues his .56 goals per game pace.
– Owen Tippett continues to remind everyone why he is an NHL player, making a perfect read on his goal in the third period against SJS, sneaking in from the top right into the left circle, where all 5 Sharks lost track of him, including the goalie.
– Pheonix Copley has been nothing short of amazing for LA, but some might not know that before this season, he was a 30-year-old AHL lifer, and now he boasts a 8-1-0 record in the best league in the world. Pretty cool.
– Carter Hart is progressing well and could suit up today, but the Flyers have yet to name a starting goalie for the game or activate Hart from injured reserve.
Broadcast Info: TV – NBC Sports Philadelphia, Radio – 97.5 The Fanatic
