5 THINGS: Flyers vs. Red Wings

Returning from the NHL All-Star break, interim head coach Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (15-22-8) are home on Wednesday evening to host Jeff Blashill's Detroit Red Wings (20-21-6). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. (NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic).

This is the first of three meetings this season between the teams and the lone game in Philadelphia. The teams will rematch in Detroit this Saturday (Feb. 12) in a matinee game. The season series will conclude back in Detroit on March 22.
The Flyers have won five straight games against Detroit and are 9-0-2 in the last 11 games with the Red Wings dating back to Nov. 6, 2016. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the teams have not played against one another since the Flyers skated to a 3-0 shutout road win in Detroit on Feb. 3, 2020.
The Flyers snapped a 13-game winless streak shortly before the All-Star break, defeating the LA Kings and Winnipeg Jets in the final two games. The Red Wings defeated the visiting Anaheim Ducks, 2-1, in the penultimate game before the All-Star Break but were beaten, 5-3, by the Kings in the final game.
Here are five things to watch in Wednesday's game:
1. Brassard is back
Veteran forward Derick Brassard was an effective player for the Flyers early in the 2021-22 season. Unfortunately, he missed two lengthy stints on IR due to a recurrent lower-body injury that he aggravated in the first game of his returns on Dec. 8 against the New Jersey Devils and Jan. 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Brassard was a full participant in the Flyers' practice in Voorhees on Tuesday and is slated to be back in the lineup for the Flyers against the Red Wings. The player said that it will take some time to recover his conditioning and timing but is physically feeling much better than he has at any point since the original injury.

With the exception of Brassard replacing Morgan Frost (who was sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms late last week) and defenseman Nick Seeler replacing Cam York (Phantoms), the Flyers' starting lineup against Detroit projects to be the same as the combinations from the LA and Winnipeg games before the All-Star break.
23 Oskar Lindblom - 28 Claude Giroux - 89 Cam Atkinson
25 James van Riemsdyk - 21 Scott Laughton - 11 Travis Konecny
20 Gerry Mayhew - 19 Derick Brassard - 71 Max Willman
76 Isaac Ratcliffe - 82 Connor Bunnaman - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 70 Rasmus Ristolainen
3 Keith Yandle - 24 Nick Seeler
79 Carter Hart
[35 Martin Jones]
2. Hart Gets the Start
Over his final seven outings prior to the NHL All-Star break, Carter Hart posted a 2.38 goals against average and .924 save percentage. However, due to a lack of goal support, Hart only earned two wins in that span. For the season, Hart's .915 save percentage ranks in a tie for 16th among all NHL goalie who've played in at least 10 games. Unfortunately, he's saddled with a 9-14-5 record.
Among the goalies ahead of Hart in save percentage this season, only the New York Islanders Semyon Varlamov (3-9-1, 2.57 GAA, .916 SV%) has a season record below hockey .500. Hart has also suffered from inconsistent team defense in front of him; enough to cost him about one percentage point (0.01) off his save percentage.
What is the practical difference between a .915 and a .925 save percentage when it represents "just" one additional save on every 100 shots? This season, it's the difference between being tied with Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry and Toronto's Jack Campbell in the NHL's top five in save percentage this season and being tied with James Reimer for 16th.
3. Inside the Numbers
This is hardly uncommon but it's worth noting that the NHL teams that have had the most success against the Red Wings this season have been the opponents who have taken advantage of Detroit's tendency to be a slow-starter in games. The Wings have scored only 27 first period goals while allowing 43. Detroit is 3-14-3 when trailing after the first period. The Flyers are also in the red in the first period, scoring 37 goals while yielding 43.
The Red Wings have been a much better second period team by comparison. The team has scored 53 goals while yielding 47. The Flyers have had second period struggles most of the season, clocking in at a combined -19 (32 GF/ 51 GA) in the middle stanza.
As is usually the case with clubs below the playoff cutoff line, both the Flyers and Red Wings have struggled with closing out games or finding ways to win when trailing by a goal entering the third period. Detroit is a whopping -25 in third period goal differential (41GF/ 66 GA). The Flyers are -10 (40 GF/ 50 GA).

The Red Wings rank 27th in the NHL in all-situations shot attempt differentials (46.91 percent team Corsi) while the Flyers are 22nd (47.82%). In terms of shot quality and high-danger scoring chances, the Red Wings rank 25th (46.78 percentage share) and the Flyers rank 29th (45.48%).
4. Behind Enemy Lines: Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings' All-Star Game representative, Dylan Larkin, leads the team with 23 goals and 44 points in 42 games played this season. Power forward Tyler Bertuzzi is second with 22 goals and 40 points while dressing in 39 games. He is also a traditional +10 for the season to date.
Young defenseman Moritz Seider paces the defense corps with 29 points (4g, 25a) and has dressed in all 47 games this season. The 20-year-old German blueliner has averaged 22:38 of ice time per game.
The Flyers may see a slightly revised Detroit first line in this game. At Tuesday's practice, Filip Zadina skated on the same line as Larkin and 19-year-old standout Lucas Raymond (11g, 35 points). Additionally, Michael Rasmussen and Adam Erne practiced on a line with Vladislav Namestnikov on Tuesday.
Injured in training camp, Jakub Vrana has missed the entire season to date due to shoulder surgery. He is getting closer to a return but is not yet ready to play in game action. Vrana skated in a non-contact jersey at Tuesday's practice.
5. Players to watch: Giroux and Fabbri
Fresh off winning Most Valuable Players honors at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Flyers captain Claude Giroux was greeted back at practice on Tuesday by teammates chanting "M-V-P! M-V-P!' and banging their sticks on the ice in his honor. Giroux said afterwards that it felt awkward and uncomfortable but he was also appreciative. For his career, Giroux has compiled 26 points (7g, 19a) in 25 games against the Red Wings.
For good reason, the Flyers' focal point in playing Detroit starts with trying to contain the speedy Larkin and his line. In the meantime, Robby Fabbri has burned the Flyers for six goals and seven points in six career games against Philadelphia with the Blues and Red Wings.