Flyers vs. Kings, Game 37: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The Philadelphia Flyers (12-17-7) won’t quite ring in the New Year on Saturday. But they will face off against the Los Angeles Kings (21-12-6) in the final game of the 2022 calendar schedule.

The Kings have been a resilient bunch this season and bring a seven-game point streak (6-0-1) into this 4 p.m. matchup.

Their resiliency showed in their most recent victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Down 4-2 after two periods, Alex Iafallo and Sean Walker scored in the final frame to send the game to overtime. It would take a shootout to determine a winner as Viktor Arvidsson and Adrian Kempe scored to give the Kings the victory.

The Flyers used their own bit of resiliency in their overtime win Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Kevin Labanc put the Sharks up 3-1 just 52 seconds into the third. Owen Tippett cut the deficit to one and then Travis Konecny scored his second of the night with just over two minutes to play to send it to overtime. Tony DeAngelo would give Philadelphia its first overtime victory of the season in seven attempts.

“We know we’re a resilient team. We’re gonna keep pushing, we’re gonna keep coming at you,” Konecny said after the win. “And tonight it ended up working out in our favor.”

The overtime win also gave Sam Ersson his first career NHL victory. After a rough debut against the Carolina Hurricanes, this was a much-needed response from him as well.

Flyers’ Locker Room: Sam Ersson Reacts to His First NHL Victory

This will be the first meeting between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers this season. To find out the last time these two played, you’d have to go back to Jan. 29 of last season. It was an overtime victory for Philadelphia to break out of a 13-game losing streak. Cam Atkinson scored twice, recording three points overall. The Kings tied the game with just under 40 seconds to go before Scott Laughton won it in overtime.

At the moment, Ersson is slated to start as he was the first goaltender off during practice on Friday morning. John Tortorella did not speak to Carter Hart’s status for the game. He was expected to come out of concussion protocol. He could end up being a game-time decision for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Expected Flyers lines

van Riemsdyk – Frost – Tippett

Farabee – Cates – Konecny

Hayes – Laughton – Allison

Deslauriers – Brown – MacEwen

Defense:

Provorov – York

Sanheim – DeAngelo

Seeler – Ristolainen

Goalie:

Sam Ersson

Expected Kings lines

Fiala – Kopitar – Kempe

Iafallo – Danault – Arvidsson

Anderson-Dolan – Lizotte – Vilardi

Lemieux – Byfield – Kupari

Defense:

Anderson – Doughty

Durzi – Roy

Edler – Walker

Goalie:

Pheonix Copley

Special Teams:

Flyers Power Play: 15.1%, 31st

Flyers Penalty Kill: 74.3%, 23th

Kings Power Play: 23.4%, 14th

Kings Penalty Kill: 71.7%, 28th

Breakaways

Phillip Danault has been hot for the Kings, posting seven points in his last five games. He has three goals in the last four and 11 overall on the season. … Kevin Fiala leads the team in assists (26) and points (36) during his first season in LA. … Travis Konecny has five goals in his last five games. … Copley (8-1-0) has played well for Los Angeles, posting a 2.58 GAA and a .905 save percentage. … If he starts, Ersson (1-0) will look to keep his number trending downward, posting a 4.45 GAA and .862 save percentage in his two games.

Philadelphia will play its 21st game on New Year’s Eve. The Flyers have posted a 9-7-2-2 record all-time during games held on Dec. 31.

This will be the third time the Flyers and Kings will meet on New Year’s Eve, the last game coming in 2019. Los Angeles earned a 5-3 victory in that game.

Philadelphia has allowed the opposing team to score first in 25 of its 36 games this season. The Flyers are tied for first in the NHL with nine wins when trailing first in a game.

How to Watch: