In the second game of a four-game road trip, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (5-7-1) will take on Greg Cronin's Anaheim Ducks (7-5-0) on Friday evening. Game time at the Honda Center is 10:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP+ with Jim Jackson and Brian Boucher on the call. The radio broadcast, with Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk on the call, is on 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the second and final meeting of the 2023-24 season between the teams, and the lone game in Anaheim. In Philadelphia, on the afternoon of October 28, the Flyers fell to a 7-4 defeat. Frank Vatrano notched a hat trick for Anaheim with even strength, power play, and shorthanded goals. Travis Konecny tallied twice in a losing cause.
Here are five things to watch in Friday's game:
1. Flyers at a crossroads
The Flyers are 2-6-1 over their last nine games. In six of the games, the Flyers played well enough to win. However, in each of the last two matches -- a 5-0 home loss to the LA Kings and 2-1 road defeat at the hands of the San Jose Sharks -- the Flyers played from behind most of the game, and neither performance saw Philadelphia generate enough high-end scoring chances, either at even strength or on the power play.
In San Jose on Tuesday, Flyers put 39 shots on goal but generated a modest 11 high-danger chances against a club that entered the game winless (0-10-1) with a minus-43 goal differential overall and a penalty kill that had been yielding opposing power play games at a rate of one goal for every three PK opportunities.
Now it's up to the Flyers to respond properly, especially in light of the fact that the Ducks have already beaten the Flyers once this season. The remainder of the road trip -- with games in Los Angeles and Carolina -- will only get harder.
The Flyers need to get back to the type of hockey they were playing before the losses to the Kings and Sharks: establishing a forecheck early, playing fast, creating high-end scoring chances in volume (but hopefully finishing a higher percentage), defending their blueline aggressively and generally being the harder-working team on the ice from the first period onward.
2. Hart is feeling better
Carter Hart had to leave last Wednesday's home game against the Sabres with a mid-body injury at the 10-minute mark of the first period. He subsequently missed the games on Friday in Buffalo, Saturday at home against LA and on Tuesday in San Jose. After Thursday's practice in Anaheim, Hart said that he was feeling much better and is ready to play. The injury, he said, had been tightness in his lower back.
There also figures to be at least one lineup change for the Flyers. After being scratched in San Jose on Tuesday, Morgan Frost appears set to return to the Flyers' lineup. Tortorella said on Thursday that, while he's happy with how much Frost has evolved defensively, he wants to see more offense from the skilled 24-year-old center.
Sean Couturier returned to the Flyers' lineup on Tuesday after a two-game absence last weekend due to a lower-body issue. In San Jose, Couturier contributed effectively in many areas. He generated five shots on goal, was credited with a pair of takeaways and generated a solid underlying numbers performance (three individual scoring chances, 59.26 percent Corsi, 0.65 expected goals to 0.17 expected goals against).
With Couturier and Frost slotting back into the Flyers' lineup, someone else has to exit the lineup. As with the game last week against Carolina and the home match Buffalo, it appears that Scott Laughton will center the fourth line. If so, Ryan Poehling is the likeliest candidate not to dress for Friday's match.
3. Flyers power play vs. Ducks penalty kill
For the season, the Flyers enter Friday's game ranked 31st of the NHL's 32 clubs on the power play (4-for-45, 8.9 percent). Only the St. Louis Blues (1-for-35, 2.9 percent) rank below the Flyers.
The last time the Flyers played the Ducks, the Flyers went 1-for-4. On the positive side, Konecny sniped a PPG from the slot. On the negative end, a lackluster second period power play opportunity proved to be a momentum killer as it came directly on the heels of the Flyers slicing a 4-0 deficit to 4-2. In the third period, Vatrano scored shorthanded to open a 6-3 lead.
For the season, the Ducks rank 15th on the penalty kill (79.3 percent). Anaheim has scored two shorthanded goals: one apiece for Mason McTavish and Vatrano.
4. Flyers PK vs. Sharks power play
The Flyers have allowed an opposing power play goal in each of the last games. In San Jose on Tuesday, Philadelphia went 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. However, the William Eklund power play goal that San Jose generated in the second period proved to be the game winning goal in the 2-1 game.
For the season, the Flyers have killed penalties at a 79.5 percent rate (ranked 14th). Opposing power plays are 8-for-39 against Philadelphia. The Flyers have scored four shorthanded goals this season but three came in a single game (Oct. 21 in Dallas). Konecny and Sean Walker have each scored two shorties apiece this season.
The Ducks enter Friday's game ranked 20th on the power play (7-for-40, 17.5 percent). They've allowed one shorthanded goal.
5. Behind enemy lines: Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks finished dead last in the NHL last season (23-47-12 record, 58 points). The team has shown significant improvement so far this season, especially in the goals against department. So far, the Ducks have sliced last season's league-worst 4.09 team GAA to a 2.83 GAA (ranked 9th league). Offensively, Anaheim has averaged 3.08 goals per game.
Anaheim is 6-4-0 in its last 10 games but put together a six-game winning streak before sustaining a 2-0 home shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. The game was 1-0 until a late empty net goal by Sidney Crosby sealed the outcome. The Ducks generated 32 shots but were unable to solve Tristan Jarry or Magnus Hellberg (who entered the game to replace an injured Jarry).
Overall, McTavish leads the Ducks with 13 points (6g, 7a) in 13 games. He's followed by Vatrano (team-leading nine goals, 12 points), Ryan Strome (2g, 9a), and Troy Terry (5g, 5a). Young defenseman Pavel Mintykov (1g, 7a, traditional +5) has played very well for the Ducks.
In net, Lukas Dostal is 5-1-0 in six starts with a 2.80 GAA and .920 save percentage. Dostal beat the Flyers in Philadelphia last month. Veteran John Gibson is just 2-4-0 in seven starts but has a 2.41 goals against average and .921 save percentage.
