For the first time in five games on Thursday, the Flyers managed a point in the standings, forcing overtime against the Calgary Flames. But just like the previous five games, the Flyers came out on the losing end.
It has been a disappointing and frustrating two weeks for the Flyers, whose losing ways started on home ice and carried over to the road trip, which comes to an end against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.
There were some positives in the Flyers loss on Thursday, none more so than just grabbing a point in the standings. But that hardly solves the problems of the Flyers, who haven't been able to put much of anything together.
One silver lining on Thursday was Michael Raffl's first goal. Raffl finally cracked the score sheet with a game-tying goal late in the second.
Still, you can look at Jake Voracek, among others, who have yet to really contribute as expected, and with frustration starting to set in, things are really not looking good for the Flyers.
One of the players who has looked good for the Flyers is Michal Neuvirth, who will be back in goal for the third straight game on Saturday. Neuvirth made 45 saves against the Oilers on Tuesday and 28 on Thursday. He has a 2.10 GAA through seven games.
The Jets have been off to a solid start, posting an 8-4-2 record entering Saturday's game. For a snakebit team like the Flyers that can't seem to score more than one goal per game, this could be a nightmare. The Jets two-headed monster in goal, Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson have combined for a 2.42 GAA and .923 save percentage.
Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little are both tied for the team lead in goals with six. Mathieu Perreault has just one goal on the season, but nine assists, for a total of 10 points. Wheeler also leads the team in assists with 11 and points with 17.
With Mark Scheifele and Andrew Ladd also contributing up front and Dustin Byfuglien being both a pest on the blue line and a scoring threat on offense, the Jets come equipped with some good talent.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (25th, 14th on road), Jets (10th, 8th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (23rd, 28th on road), Jets (17th, 27th at home)
- The Flyers went 2-0-0 against the Jets in 2014-15. The Flyers grabbed an emotional come-from-behind win in overtime, 4-3, on Dec. 21 and stormed to a 5-2 win on Jan. 29.
- Flyers leaders vs. Jets
- Jake Voracek – 15 games, 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points
- Claude Giroux – 16 games, 2 goals, 11 assists, 13 points
- Michael Del Zotto – 16 games, 2 goals, 11 assists, 13 points
- Michal Neuvirth – 11 games, 3-0-1, 2.94 GAA
- Milestone Watch: Wayne Simmonds needs three points to reach 200 as a Flyer.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Jake Voracek
Line 2: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: R.J. Umberger-Brayden Schenn-Sam Gagner
Line 4: Chris VandeVelde-Scott Laughton-Ryan White
D-Pair 1: Michael Del Zotto-Mark Streit
D-Pair 2: Nick Schultz-Luke Schenn
D-Pair 3: Radko Gudas-Brandon Manning
Goalie: Michal Neuvirth
Scratches: Evgeny Medvedev, Vincent Lecavalier, Davis Drewiske, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Where to Watch
TV: TCN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
