Game 11 Preview: Flyers face Red Wings in quick home jaunt

By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 

After a quick road victory in Carolina, the Flyers briefly return home for a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings. One thing the Flyers haven't done this season is win consecutive games, and the opportunity is quite present against a Red Wings club that has lost their last two games and has scored just four goals over their past three matchups.
 
This is also the first Flyers-Red Wings matchup in the span of a week, too — both teams will take the Wells Fargo Center ice next Tuesday. They'll head to the Motor City on Dec. 11 for their last game against the Red Wings, getting their season series with them out of the way rather quickly. 
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
 

 
Flyers Leaders GP G A P Red Wings Leaders GP G A P
Claude Giroux 10 2 10 12 Thomas Vanek 7 4 4 8
Wayne Simmonds 10 6 5

11

Gustav Nyquist 10 3 5 8
Jakub Voracek 10 5 5 10 Darren Helm 10 4 3 7
Brandon Manning 10 2 5 7 Mike Green 10 3 4 7
Shayne Gostisbehere 10 2 5 7 Frans Nielsen 10 2 4 6
 
Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux 62 Thomas Vanek
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 4 A, 6 P, -4 Last 5 Games: 2 G, 4 A, 6 P,+4
 
Claude Giroux had been setting goals up for the Flyers left and right, but it took him a while to actually score one himself. The captain now has goals in each of his last two games, and has recorded at least one point in all but one game so far this season.
 

Red Wings newcomer Thomas Vanek has been off to a hot start, scoring four goals and eight points to lead the team. In 37 career games against the Flyers, the 32-year-old Vanek has made his presence felt, with 14 goals and 31 points.

 
Goalie Matchup
30 Michal Neuvirth 34 Petr Mrazek
4-2-1, 3.84 GAA, .861 SV% 4-3-0, 2.94 GAA, .910 SV%

Michal Neuvirth gets the nod for the Flyers, and will make back-to-back starts for the first time all season. Neuvirth turned away 26 of 29 shots in Sunday's win over the Hurricanes.

Despite a strong start to the season for Jimmy Howard (0.86 GAA, .973 SP), the Red Wings will through young Petr Mrazek in goal. Mrazek's won four of his last five decisions.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Boyd Gordon, Andrew MacDonald, Michael Raffl, Scott Laughton, Michael Del Zotto

Left Wing Center Right Wing
10 Brayden Schenn 28 Claude Giroux 17 Wayne Simmonds
11 Travis Konecny 14 Sean Couturier 93 Jake Voracek
24 Matt Read 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 13 Roman Lyubimov
76 Chris VandeVelde 25 Nick Cousins 22 Dale Weise
Defense    
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 55 Nick Schultz  
9 Ivan Provorov 32 Mark Streit  
3 Radko Gudas 23 Brandon Manning  
Goalie    
30 Michal Neuvirth    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (3rd, 7th at home), Red Wings (15th, 20th on road)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (25th, 26th at home), Red Wings (14th, 17th on road)
  • Recent History vs. Red Wings:
    • April 6, 2016 – The Flyers fired 30 shots on Jimmy Howard, but none of them found the back of the net in a 3-0 loss. Darren Helm, Andreas Athanasiou and Kyle Quincy all scored for the Red Wings. The loss would actually be the Flyers' last loss of the regular season, before their six-game playoff series against Washington. 
    • March 15, 2016 — Michael Raffl potted two goals in a 4-3 win over the Red Wings, with Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere scoring as well. Steve Mason turned away 34 shots to earn the win. Andreas Athanasiou, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar all scored for the Red Wings, as their third-period comeback bid fell short.
    • Jan. 17, 2016 — Claude Giroux and Niklas Kronwall each scored in regulation for their respective teams, but 65 minutes proved to be not enough for both teams. Jakub Voracek netted the shootout winner for the Flyers, while Michal Neuvirth made 29 saves. Petr Mrazek turned in a 30-save effort between the Red Wings' pipes.
  • A Look Back in Flyers History - The Flyers' first-ever home game against the Red Wings was also their sixth game in franchise history, and the veteran Red Wings squad topped them, 3-1. Ted Hampson and Paul Henderson gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead in the first period, and while Gary Dornhoefer got the Flyers on the board less than a minute into the second period, Doug Roberts restored the two-goal lead in the final minute of the period. Gary Bergman recorded a pair of assists for the Red Wings.

TV: NBCSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

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