QUICK STATS
Season Series: 0-1-0
All-Time Record: 35gp (19-13-0-3)
Leading Scorer:
PHI - Travis Konecny: 36-pts (12g-24a)
ARI - Nick Schmaltz: 33-pts (7g-26a)
1. OPPOSITES ATTRACT
The Flyers come into tonight's game looking to snap a two-game skid in a pair of road games that have combined for 17 goals... The Coyotes come in riding a two-game home winning streak in which they have outscored their opponent, 7-3... The Flyers have scored a power-play goal in six of their last seven games, going 8-for-27 (29.6%), while the Coyotes have allowed just two goals on the penalty kill in their last nine games (22 of 24) and have gone perfect on the PK in eight of those nine games... The Coyotes have the sixth-best penalty kill in the entire NHL at 82.5%, but third-best on home ice, operating at 88.7%.
2. BUT ITS A DRY HEAT
The Coyotes (50 points) come into tonight in second place in the Pacific Division, two points behind Vegas (52 points)... It's the first time they have been second place or higher in their division since the 2015-16 season... While the Coyotes are ranked 23rd in the NHL in terms of offense at 2.72 goals per-game, they are one of the beset defensive teams in the NHL, ranking third with a combined goals-against average of 2.51 per-game, which is also second-best in the Western Conference... 17 of their 23 wins have come when they have scored the first goal of the game.
3. HISTORY IN THE DESERT
The Flyers will wrap up their eighth season series tonight, including their sixth against a team from the Western Conference... They have yet to be swept in a season series this year... The Flyers dropped their first meeting of the year to Arizona (3-1 on Dec. 5) which also snapped a three-game winning streak against the Coyotes, but have earned points in three straight games in the Desert, going 2-0-1, with wins in their last two visits... The Flyers have not gone without at least a point in a two-game series against Arizona in nine series since 2000-01, which is the only time the Coyotes have held the Flyers pointless.
4. THIS, THAT & THE OTHER
THIS: Jake Voracek has had three consecutive games in which he has recorded two assists - Dating back to Dec. 17, Voracek leads the team in assists (9), points (11) and plus-minus (+6) through the last eight games... THAT: The Coyotes host an Eastern Conference team for the seventh time this season, but haven't had much success in the previous six - they are 1-5-0 at home against Eastern Conference teams, including dropping their last four... THE OTHER: Right Wing Conor Garland leads the team with 14 goals, which is one more than he had in his rookie season last year... He also enters tonight on a four-game point streak with five points (2g-3a).
5. PLAYERS TO WATCH
FLYERS (RW: #28 - Claude Giroux)
The Flyers captain is riding a five-game point streak where he's posted six points (2g-4a), a +3 rating and goals in two straight games... All-time, he is eight points shy of reaching 800 and one goal shy of reaching 250 in his career... Against the Coyotes, Giroux averages a point per-game with seven goals and 17 points in 17 games, including three goals and four points in his last two trips to Gila River Arena.
COYOTES (LW: #91 - Taylor Hall)
After being acquired on Dec. 16 from the NJ Devils, Hall has five points (2g-3a) in eight games for the Coyotes, including points in three of his four games at Gila River Arena... Hall has a pair of points (1g-1a) in two meetings this season, and averages over a point per-game against the Flyers with 10 goals and 23 points in 19 games.
