Flyers try to extend point streak to 6 as they start road trip in Seattle

The Philadelphia Flyers (12-12-5) lineup Wednesday in Seattle will bear little resemblance to the one that defeated the Seattle Kraken (10-17-3), 6-1, on Oct. 18.

Carter Hart made 24 saves in that win against Dave Hakstol’s expansion team, while Derick Brassard had three points and Ryan Ellis chipped in with a goal.

All three — along with top-line center Sean Couturier and valuable winger/center Scott Laughton — didn’t make the trip and are on the Covid-19 protocol list.

Flyers centers Kevin Hayes and Morgan Frost come off the COVID list Tuesday, and both will be in the lineup Wednesday in Seattle.

Seattle has four players in COVID protocol: Defensemen Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn, and forwards Ryan Donato (eight goals), and Mason Appleton.

The Kraken defensemen Jamie Oleksiak (6-7, 255) and Carson Soucy came off the COVID list Tuesday.

“We’re going to have to be really careful with minutes for both of those guys,” Hakstol told reporters.

Seattle is also without one of its best forwards, Brandon Tanev, who needs season-ending ACL surgery.

Storylines

The Flyers, playing their first game since Dec. 18, are trying to extend their points streak to six games. They are 4-0-1 since losing 10 straight.

Philly is 4-2-1 under interim coach Mike Yeo and has averaged 3.7 goals per game in that span. Prior to that, they had averaged just 1.65 goals in their previous 17 games.

Seattle is trying to regroup after dropping five of its last six games (1-4-1), getting outscored by a combined 24-12.

Projected Philadelphia Flyers lines

Here are the Flyers’ projected lines for Wednesday’s matchup:

Line 1: Claude Giroux centering Oskar Lindblom and Cam Atkinson.

Line 2: Hayes centering Joel Farabee and Travis Konecny.

Line 3:  Frost centering James van Riemsdyk and Gerry Mayhew.

Line 4: Patrick Brown centering Max Willman and Zack MacEwen.

Defense: Ivan Provorov and Justin Braun; Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen; and Keith Yandle and Kevin Connauton.

Goalie: Martin Jones.

Numbers Dept.

The Flyers (25th, 2.65 goals per game) and Kraken (19th, 2.80) are near the bottom part of the league in goals scored per game. Ditto their rank in goals allowed – the Flyers are 22^nd (3.17 per game) and Seattle is 30^th (3.57).

Who’s hot

Right winger Cam Atkinson has five goals over his last eight games for the Flyers.

Right winger Jordan Eberle has four points, all assists, over the Kraken’s last five games.

Projected goalie matchup

With Hart on the COVID list, the Flyers will start Jones, who may also get the call when the Flyers face his former team, San Jose, on Thursday. Jones has a 3.33 GAA and .907 save percentage, and he has beaten Ottawa and Arizona in his last two starts.

Philipp Grubauer is expected to get the call for the Kraken. Grubauer (3.29, .882) has struggled after excelling last year with Colorado (1.95, .922), and he has lost his last four starts.

How to watch

NBC Sports Philadelphia, 10 p.m.

Money line (FanDuel)

Flyers: plus-116.

Kraken: minus-140.

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Prediction

Flyers 5, Kraken 3