Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers vs. Arizona, Game 39: Lines, Notes & How to Watch
The Philadelphia Flyers (14-17-7) will be looking to do something they haven’t done all season — win their fourth straight game.
They’ll have a chance to do that Thursday against Shayne Gostisbehere and the visiting Arizona Coyotes (13-18-5) at 7 p.m.
The teams are separated in the standings by just four points. The Flyers (35 points) are 26th out of 32 NHL teams; the Coyotes (31) are 28th.
After having won three straight games themselves, the Coyotes are on a two-game losing streak. Their most recent loss came at the hands of Florida. Matthew Tkachuk recorded a hat trick in the 5-3 Panthers win.
The Flyers dominated the Anaheim Ducks from start to finish Monday. Joel Farabee and Travis Konecny each had two points in the 4-1 victory. Sam Ersson made 28 saves and came within 40 seconds of his first career shutout.
”I feel like we’re getting back to the way we were playing at the start of the year,” Konecny said about the three-game win streak. “Doesn’t matter who we play against, it’s the same; you play hard and hopefully it pays off for you.”
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These two teams faced off Dec. 22 as the Coyotes took the 5-4 victory. Clayton Keller’s overtime goal secured the first NHL hat trick of his career. James van Riemsdyk and Morgan Frost had four points each in the loss.
In the rematch, the Flyers should have the advantage in the nets. Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka has allowed five goals in his last two starts. Carter Hart will be making his return since suffering a concussion on Dec. 22nd.
Expected Flyers lines
van Riemsdyk – Frost – Tippett
Farabee – Cates – Konecny
Hayes – Laughton – Allison
Deslauriers – Brown – MacEwen
Defense
Provorov – York
Sanheim – DeAngelo
Seeler – Ristolainen
Goalie
Hart
Expected Coyotes lines
Keller – Boyd – Schmaltz
McBain – Bjugstad – Crouse
Ritchie – Hayton – Fischer
Carcone – Kassian
Defense
Chychrun – Gostisbehere
Valimaki – Moser
Nemeth – Stecher
Brown
Goalie
Karel Vejmelka
Special Teams
Flyers Power Play: 15.3%, 29th
Flyers Penalty Kill: 75.6%, 21st
Arizona Power Play: 21.0%, 20th
Arizona Penalty Kill: 72.9%, 26th
Breakaways
Keller leads the Coyotes with 14 goals and 36 points. … He has 11 points (5-6) in nine games versus the Flyers. Konecny is red hot with 11 points in his last six games. … His 37 points lead the team. … Hart (10-11-6), appearing in his first game since a concussion, has a 2.89 GAA and a .911 save percentage. … Vejmelka (11-11-4) gets a bulk of the playing time for Arizona and has posted a 3.23 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
Philadelphia has outscored its opponents 25-19 in the last six overall games and is 4-2-0 during that span.
The Flyers recorded a season-high 41 shots the last time they faced the Coyotes.
Sweeping the California road trip, this will be the fourth straight Western Conference opponent the Philadelphia Flyers will face. They are 3-3-0 against the West at home.
How to Watch:
TV: NBCSP | Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic