Flyers-Ducks: Game 12 Preview

Kevin Durso

October 30 2018

(Photo: Kate Frese)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

The floundering Flyers are 4-7-0 as they embark on a four-game West coast trip that could determine the next move. More struggles away from home could bring about changes with a five-game homestand coming up after the trip.

The road trip starts against the Anaheim Ducks, who have lost five straight games and are 2-5-1 after starting the season 3-0-1 through four games.

Game time is at 10 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Anaheim Ducks	GP	G	A	P
Jake Voracek	11	3	9	12	Jakob Silfverberg	7	3	4	7
Claude Giroux	11	3	8	11	Ryan Getzlaf	7	2	5	7
Wayne Simmonds	11	6	1	7	Hampus Lindholm	12	2	5	7
Scott Laughton	11	4	1	5	Rickard Rakell	12	2	5	7
Travis Konecny	11	2	3	5	Adam Henrique	12	3	3	6

Player to Watch
14 Sean Couturier	67 Rickard Rakell
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 0 A, 1 P, -2	Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, E

Sean Couturier entered the season with limited playing time in the preseason as he continued to recover from an offseason injury. That said, the Flyers need the top line center to start to get going in all zones. Couturier's offensive numbers haven't been great, but it's been more concerning to see his overall level of play down. If the Flyers need more out of the core, Couturier is certainly a focal point.

The Ducks have a lot of injuries right now, so offense can be hard to come by. Rickard Rakell certainly comes with the scoring potential, but has just two goals this season. Still, as a dangerous player and a power-play threat, Rakell is one to watch in this game.

Goalie Matchup
37 Brian Elliott	30 Ryan Miller
2-5-0, 3.39 GAA, .886 SV%	1-1-0, 2.17 GAA, .938 SV%

Brian Elliott will be back between the pipes after getting Saturday off in Michal Neuvirth's return. The Flyers goaltending as a whole has been a nightmare this season, but Elliott does have a bulk of the starts with this being his ninth.

It's a rare night off for John Gibson, which means Ryan Miller will be in net against the Flyers tonight. Miller is making just his third start of the season and lost his last start on Oct. 21, allowing three goals on 44 shots.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: James van Riemsdyk, Michael Raffl

Scratches: Andrew MacDonald, Tyrell Goulbourne, Cal Pickard

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux	14 Sean Couturier	11 Travis Konecny
23 Oskar Lindblom	19 Nolan Patrick	93 Jake Voracek
22 Dale Weise	40 Jordan Weal	17 Wayne Simmonds
21 Scott Laughton	15 Jori Lehtera	62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	8 Robert Hagg
53 Shayne Gostisbehere	26 Christian Folin
6 Travis Sanheim	3 Radko Gudas
Goalie
37 Brian Elliott

Lineup Notes

The Flyers will include Nicolas Aube-Kubel, making his NHL debut after his call-up on Sunday. Tyrell Goulbourne will be the healthy scratch among forwards. Dale Weise moves to the third line with Scott Laughton staying on the wing on the fourth line and Aube-Kubel slotting in on the fourth line as well.

Ducks Projected Lineup

Injuries: Corey Perry, Ondrej Kase, Maxime Comtois, Nick Ritchie, Patrick Eaves, Carter Rowney, Korbinian Holzer

Scratches: Ben Street, Luke Schenn

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
14 Adam Henrique	15 Ryan Getzlaf	67 Rickard Rakell
7 Andrew Cogliano	17 Ryan Kesler	64 Kiefer Sherwood
20 Pontus Aberg	34 Sam Steel	33 Jakob Silfverberg
39 Joseph Blandisi	48 Isac Lundestrom	23 Brian Gibbons
Defense
47 Hampus Lindholm	26 Brandon Montour
4 Cam Fowler	42 Josh Manson
51 Jacob Larsson	73 Andy Welinski
Goalie
30 Ryan Miller

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-23rd, T-21st on road), Ducks (20th, 27th at home)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (31st, T-25th on road), Ducks (T-12th, T-16th at home)
Recent History vs. Ducks
- Oct. 7, 2017 – Flyers 3, Ducks 2 F/OT (at ANA)
- Oct. 24, 2017 – Ducks 6, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Ducks
- Claude Giroux – 15 GP, 2 G, 12 A, 14 P
- Jake Voracek – 22 GP, 6 G, 9 A, 15 P
- Sean Couturier – 10 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 P
- Brian Elliott – 14 GP, 2-8-3, 3.32 GAA, .878 SV%