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Preview: Flyers Look to Dethrone Kings in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Flyers' Alexei Kolosov (Heather Cattai/Heather Barry Images, LLC)
(Heather Cattai/Heather Barry Images, LLC)

Last night, the Philadelphia Flyers (14-14-4) did not perform up to standard against the Detroit Red Wings.

“I don’t think we played well. We crawled back in, which was good, but we didn’t spend enough time in the offensive zone. I don’t think we defended well to get the puck back.” – John Tortorella; 12/18/2024

In the second period, the Red Wings were down a defenseman. Simon Edvinsson did not return, and the Flyers could not take advantage. Philadelphia went about twelve minutes without a shot on goal as Detroit moved on with five defensemen.

Tonight, the Los Angeles Kings (18-9-4) represent a more daunting task. On paper, the Flyers had a slight edge against the Red Wings, but that is not the case with the Kings.

Los Angeles (-162) is the favorite per DraftKings Sportsbook. They boast a better penalty kill (10th: 81.8%), average more goals scored per game (15th: 3.03), and less goals against per game (1st: 2.52). Philadelphia has a slightly better powerplay (26th: 16.5%) and is marginally better at faceoffs (11th: 51.8%). Overall, the Flyers have their hands filled at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:30pm/ET.

When: 7:30pm/ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: ESPN+; Flyers Radio 24/7
Last Game PHI: 12/18; 6-4 L; at Detroit Red Wings
Last Game LAK: 12/17; 3-2 OTL; at Pittsburgh Penguins

Philadelphia Flyers

Alexei Kolosov starts on the heels of the back-to-back. He earned the backup role over Ivan Fedotov and is outplaying Sam Ersson when comparing the last five starts. The most recent time Ersson had a save percentage over 90% was versus the San Jose Sharks on November 11th.

  • Ersson: 2-3-0, 84.7%SV, 3.6GAA
  • Kolosov: 4-0-1, 91.6%SV, 2.2GAA

Fedotov was the starting goaltender versus the Florida Panthers, though Kolosov earned the decision after substituting in the second period. Frankly, Kolosov is the hot hand to compete against the Kings.

Jamie Drysdale bit hard on a couple of pinches against the Red Wings, and if you are going to bite on a pinch, the transition to offense needs disruption. However, it would not be fair to place any fault on Drysdale for the poor defensive performance. Contrary to a poor performance, Drysdale managed the game well. He contributed an assist on an alert play at the boards behind Ersson, maneuvering a pass to Scott Laughton before he sprung Owen Tippett for a game-tying goal. In 22:09 on the ice, Drysdale notched an assist, took a shot on goal, and blocked a shot.

Matvei Michkov surprisingly did not find the stat sheet in Detroit. He could not convert a couple of tip-in attempts in the first and third periods, accounting for his high-danger scoring chances. Michkov needs a point tonight to avoid matching the longest drought of his rookie season. He remains solid at even strength, though his only fault against the Red Wings was getting caught offside on the Patrick Kane game-winner. The real issue with that game-winner was a poorly timed line change that gave Kane the entire ice and an optimal look at Ersson.

“I thought we played more in the end zone in the third period. We crawled back in it, and we beat ourselves with a bad line change. We probably deserve what we got here tonight. We didn’t play well at all.” – John Tortorella; 12/18/2024

Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers

#86 Joel Farabee – #14 Sean Couturier – #11 Travis Konecny
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #39 Matvei Michkov
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#21 Scott Laughton – #25 Ryan Poehling – #19 Garnet Hathaway

#36 Emil Andrae – #6 Travis Sanheim
#5 Egor Zamula – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale

#35 Alexei Kolosov
(#33 Sam Ersson)

Projected Lineup: Los Angeles Kings

#15 Alex Turcotte – #11 Anže Kopitar – #9 Adrian Kempe
#22 Kevin Fiala – #24 Phillip Danault – #14 Alex Laferriere
#37 Warren Foegele – #55 Quinton Byfield – #10 Tanner Jeannot
#7 Kyle Burroughs – #79 Samuel Helenius – #26 Akil Thomas

#44 Mikey Anderson – #84 Vladislav Gavrikov
#6 Joel Edmundson – #92 Brandt Clarke
#43 Jacob Moverare – #21 Jordan Spence

#35 Darcy Kuemper
(#31 David Rittich)

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