Flyers Game Day Preview: Game #32 vs LA Kings

After a tough 6-4 loss to Detroit Wednesday night, the Flyers quickly head back home to host the LA Kings. Puck drop will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Center.

The Kings have won seven of their last 10 games heading into Thursday’s contest, with their most recent game being a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Records and Stats

LAK: 18-9-4, 8-7-3 on the road, 2nd in the Pacific

PHI: 14-14-4, 7-8-1 at home, 5th in the Metropolitan

Scoring leaders:

Points: Travis Konecny (PHI) 37, Anze Kopitar (LAK) 35

Goals: Travis Konecny (PHI) 16, Adrian Kempe (LAK) 16

Assists: Anze Kopitar (LAK) 27, Travis Konecny (PHI) 21

Expected Lines for the Flyers

The Flyers’ lines may not be as certain as they were in other games. There was no morning skate prior to Thursday’s game, so we likely won’t know what Torts is thinking until warm-ups.

The line centered by Noah Cates was untouched Wednesday against the Red Wings, while Poehling and Laughton flipped positions, resulting in a Cates score. I can see Tortorella keeping that for Thursday’s game.

There may even have been a Konecny—Frost—Michkov sighting. Nobody knows what will happen on Thursday until game time.

The defensive pairs may be a complete unknown; Cam York was benched Wednesday, maybe Emil Andrae will draw back in for York? There will definitely be a shuffle. For the sake of uncertainty, last nights initial pairs will be listed.

Forwards

Joel Farabee – Sean Coutourier – Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Matvei Michkov

Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink

Ryan Poehling – Scott Laughton – Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen

Cam York – Travis Sanheim

Yegor Zamula – Rasmus Ristolainen

Nick Seeler – Jamie Drysdale

Goaltender Matchup

Aleksei Kolosov is expected to play between the pipes for Philly, while Darcy Kuemper is expected to play in the opposing net.

Kuemper: 7-2-4, 2.71 GAA, .912 SV%, One Shutout

Kolosov: 4-5-1, 3.05 GAA, .889 SV%

Special Teams

LAK: 15.3 PP% (28th), 13 PPG (28th), 81.8 PK% (10th), 2 SHG (T12th)

PHI: 16.5 PP% (26th), 15 PPG (26th), 79.8 PK% (14th), 2 SHG (T12th)

Previous Meeting

The last time the two teams met was November 11th, 2023, in Los Angeles. The Flyers won that game 4-2, getting scoring from Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost (2x), and Cam Atkinson. Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings in that matchup as well.

Game Information

Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Center. The game will be broadcast on Hulu/ESPN+, along with a radio broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by AP Photo/Matt Slocum