Zucker had his first NHL hat trick in a 3-0 victory at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, one night after scoring twice in the Wild's 4-2 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's the first Wild player to score five straight team goals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Goaltender Brian Elliott is expected to start for the Flyers. He made 38 saves in a 3-1 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Players to watch
Wild center Eric Staal has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past three games. Flyers forward Claude Giroux has six points (three goals, three assists) during a three-game point streak.
They said it
"Sometimes the puck happens to go in for you. I'm just trying to work hard and get to the net. Just hang around the net and be around there. A lot of the time pucks lay there and just happen to bounce." -- Wild forward Jason Zucker "They're playing awesome. Can't ask more from them. I think the rest of the team has to take it upon ourselves to back them up. There's going to be nights throughout the year where we're playing against good teams and top lines are going to go against each other. That's when the depth of our team has to come through and we've got to get some big goals." -- Flyers forward Jordan Weal on the need for secondary scoring
Stalock rejoined the Wild after missing the games Wednesday and Thursday to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter. … Patrick skated with Read and assistant coach Ian Laperriere but will miss his eighth straight game. He's hoping to play during the Flyers' two-game road trip, which finishes in his hometown of Winnipeg on Thursday
Stat pack
The Wild are 16-for-17 on the penalty kill and have scored two shorthanded goals in their past six games. … One member of the Flyers' top line has scored in 10 of the past 12 games; Philadelphia was shut out in the other two. Couturier (nine), Giroux (eight) and Voracek (four) have scored 21 of the Flyers' 37 goals in the past 12 games.
