The Philadelphia Flyers continue their franchise-long 8 game home-stand against the Edmonton Oilers. Currently they are 1-3-0 on their extended home-ice advantage, losing the first 3 but winning their most recent game against the Washington Capitals. They did a good job at shutting down Alex Ovechkin, who has struggled mightily against the Flyers this season with 0 points in 3 games and firing only 10 shots on goal.
The Flyers hope they can do the same to the Edmonton Oilers’ dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid leads the NHL with 75 points (28 goals and 47 assists), while his running-mate Draisaitl is second in the league in goals and points (36 goals and 74 points). Carter Hart will have his work cut out for him but he did a fantastic job coming back from an eye infection on Saturday, stopping 27 of 28 shots fired his way.
Outside of their dynamic duo, the Oilers have been pressed for production, defense, and goaltending. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is third one the team in points with only 37, which is a far cry from the 75 and 74 that lead the team. The Oilers have been plugging almost every player imaginable on their roster on the top 2 lines, looking for any kind of production. Injuries have played their toll as key players like Jesse Puljujarvi are out long term, while Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto are day-to-day.
The Oilers possess the 3rd-best power play, 26th-ranked penalty kill, have allowed the 10th-most goals, while scoring the 9th-most goals. With all the injuries and inconsistencies, you’re never sure which Edmonton Oilers team is going to show up. However, you are almost assured a point or a goal from McDavid and Draisaitl.
PHI Record: 16-26-10, 42 pts, 8th in Metropolitan
EDM Record: 29-21-3, 61 pts, 4th in Pacific
When: 7:00pm ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
PHI Goalie: Carter Hart (10-16-6, 2.90 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 SO)
EDM Goalie: Mike Smith (5-7-1, 3.53 GAA, .893 SV%, 0 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup:
#86 Joel Farabee – #28 Claude Giroux – #89 Cam Atkinson
#23 Oskar Lindblom – #21 Scott Laughton – #11 Travis Konecny
#25 James van Riemsdyk – #19 Derick Brassard – #20 Gerry Mayhew
#76 Isaac Ratcliffe – #38 Patrick Brown – #17 Zack MacEwen
#9 Ivan Provorov – #61 Justin Braun
#6 Travis Sanheim – #70 Rasmus Ristolainen
#3 Keith Yandle – #24 Nick Seeler
#79 Carter Hart
#35 Martin Jones
EDM Projected Lineup:
#37 Warren Foegele – #97 Connor McDavid – #18 Zach Hyman
#91 Evander Kane – #29 Leon Draisaitl – #70 Colton Sceviour
#16 Tyler Benson – #71 Ryan McLeod – #10 Derek Ryan
#14 Devin Shore – #86 Philip Broberg
#25 Darnell Nurse – #22 Tyson Barrie
#84 William Lagesson – #5 Cody Ceci
#2 Duncan Keith – #75 Evan Bouchard
#80 Markus Niemelainen
#41 Mike Smith
#19 Mikko Koskinen
Last Game PHI: 2/26/22, 2-1 W vs. Washington
Last Game EDM: 2/27/22, 2-1 L at Carolina
News and Notes:
– This is the second meeting of the season between Philadelphia and Edmonton. The Flyers won 5-3 back on October 27th at Rogers Place.
– This is the 80th all-time matchup between the Flyers and Oilers, with the Flyers holding a 37-33-8-1 edge in the series.
– Connor McDavid has 7 goals and 12 assists in 10 career games against the Flyers, while Draisaitl has 5 goals and 9 assists in the same amount of games
– Claude Giroux has 8 goals and 15 assists in 17 career games against the Oilers, while Carter Hart holds a 2-1-0 record against his hometown club with an .884 save percentage and a 4.22 GAA.
– Travis Konecny’s 7 game point streak (1 goal and 6 assists) came to end on Saturday, but he has been playing a lot better since being placed on the second line with Scott Laughton and Oskar Lindblom. 21 of his 23 helpers this season have been primary assists.
Broadcast Info: TV – NBC Sports Philadelphia, NHL Network, Radio – 97.5 The Fanatic
Injuries:
PHI: Kevin Hayes (lower-body), Ryan Ellis (lower-body), Nate Thompson (shoudler), Sean Couturier (back), Wade Allison (MCL)
EDM: Zack Kassian (jaw), Duncan Keith (upper-body), Kris Russell (undisclosed), Kyle Turris (undisclosed), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder), Oscar Klefbom (shoulder), Josh Archibald (chest), Kailer Yamamoto (undisclosed), Jesse Puljujarvi (lower-body)
