Flyers-Ducks: Game 3 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Flyers west coast trip comes complete on Saturday night with a stop in Anaheim against the Ducks to close out the three-game trip.

The Flyers have split the first two games of the road trip to open the 2017-18 season, while the Ducks are coming off an emotional win in their home opener on Thursday.

Game time is set for 10 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Anaheim Ducks GP G A P
Wayne Simmonds 2 3 0 3 Corey Perry 1 2 1 3
Jake Voracek 2 0 3 3 Rickard Rakell 1 1 2 3
Shayne Gostisbehere 2 0 3 3 Andrew Cogliano 1 1 2 3
Claude Giroux 2 1 0 1 Ondrej Kase 1 1 0 1
Jordan Weal 2 1 0 1 Jakob Silfverberg 1 0 1 1
 
Player to Watch
17 Wayne Simmonds 67 Rickard Rakell
Last 5 Games: 3 G, 0 A, 3 P, +1 Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +3
 
Wayne Simmonds and the Flyers power play were instrumental in the team's season-opening win on Wednesday. They went quiet in Thursday's shutout loss. Look for Simmonds and the Flyers power play to bounce back in Saturday's game.
 
 
Rickard Rakell had an excellent season debut on Thursday, posting three points and scoring the game-winning goal. Rakell also has a pair of goals against the Flyers in four career games against them.

Injuries:

Goalie Matchup
37 Brian Elliott 36 John Gibson
1-0-0, 3.00 GAA, .914 SV% 1-0-0, 4.00 GAA, .867 SV%

Brian Elliott is back in the net for the Flyers, making his second start of the season. Elliott started the season opener on Wednesday, making 32 saves on 35 shots. Elliott's career numbers against the Ducks are concerning. The veteran goalie has a 1-7-3 record with a 3.20 GAA and .884 save percentage against the Ducks in 12 career games.

John Gibson opened the season allowing four goals on 30 shots against the Coyotes on Thursday night. Despite the shaky start to the game, the Ducks rallied back to take a 5-4 win. Gibson is a perfect 3-0-0 against the Flyers in three career starts against them. Gibson gets the start with Ryan Miller still dealing with an injury.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Jori Lehtera, Brandon Manning, San Morin

Left Wing Center Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux 14 Sean Couturier 93 Jake Voracek
40 Jordan Weal 19 Nolan Patrick 17 Wayne Simmonds
22 Dale Weise 51 Valtteri Filppula 11 Travis Konecny
20 Taylor Leier 21 Scott Laughton 12 Michael Raffl
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 47 Andrew MacDonald  
6 Travis Sanheim 3 Radko Gudas  
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 8 Robert Hagg  
Goalie    
37 Brian Elliott    

Lineup Notes

No changes to the Flyers lineup after Thursday’s loss to the Kings. Jori Lehtera remains the extra forward, while Sam Morin and Brandon Manning are the defensive scratches.

Ducks Projected Lineup

Injuries: Ryan Kesler (hip, out indefinitely), Sami Vatanen (shoulder, out 4-6 weeks), Hampus Lindholm (shoulder, out 4-6 weeks), Ryan Miller (upper-body, day-to-day), Patrick Eaves (lower-body, day-to-day), Ryan Getzlaf (lower-body, day-to-day)

Left Wing Center Right Wing
7 Andrew Cogliano 67 Rickard Rakell 10 Corey Perry
37 Nick Ritchie 50 Antoine Vermette 33 Jakob Silfverberg
21 Chris Wagner 22 Dennis Rasmussen 48 Logan Shaw
86 Ondrej Kase 38 Derek Grant 40 Jared Boll
Defense    
4 Cam Fowler 42 Josh Manson  
23 Francois Beauchemin 71 Brandon Montour  
5 Korbinian Holzer 2 Kevin Bieksa  
Goalie    
36 John Gibson    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (6th, 4th on road), Ducks (T-13th, T-7th at home)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (11th, 6th on road), Ducks (T-19th, T-9th at home) 
  • Recent History vs. Ducks
    • Oct. 20, 2016 – Ducks 3, Flyers 2
    • Jan. 1, 2017 - Ducks 4, Flyers 3 (SO)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Ducks
    • Claude Giroux - 13 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 P
    • Jake Voracek – 20 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 P
    • Wayne Simmonds – 27 GP, 10 G, 6 A, 16 P
    • Brian Elliott – 12 GP, 1-7-3, 3.20 GAA 
  • Milestone Watch
    • Claude Giroux needs one goals to move into 15th all-time in Flyers history. Giroux also needs one assist to move into fourth all-time in Flyers history, and four assists to reach 400 for his career.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

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