Flyers-Oilers: Game 5 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

To this point, the Flyers schedule has been relatively spaced apart with several days between games. But a common theme to their complete 2019-20 schedule is the amount of back-to-backs they will play.

Their first of 17 this season concludes on Wednesday night, as the Flyers return to the ice following Tuesday's 3-1 loss in Calgary to close out a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Edmonton Oilers.

Game time is at 9:30 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Edmonton Oilers GP G A P
Travis Konecny 4 3 4 7 Connor McDavid 6 4 8 12
Ivan Provorov 4 1 2 3 Leon Draisaitl 6 4 8 12
Oskar Lindblom 4 2 1 3 James Neal 6 8 0 8
Matt Niskanen 4 1 2 3 Oscar Klefbom 6 1 6 7
Sean Couturier 4 1 1 2 Darnell Nurse 6 1 4 5
 
Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux 18 James Neal
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, E Last 5 Games: 8 G, 0 A, 8 P, -1
 
The Flyers swapped line combinations, putting Claude Giroux back with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny in the third period of Tuesday's loss. The combinations for Wednesday remain to be seen, but Giroux needs to start to show some production. With just one point in four games, he's off to a very slow start.
 
You would think that the obvious choice for player to watch for the Oilers would be Connor McDavid. James Neal has the scorer's touch early in the season, picking up eight goals over the last five games, including six power-play goals. 
 
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart 19 Mikko Koskinen
3 GP, 2-0-1, 1.62 GAA, .938 SV% 2 GP, 2-0-0, 2.40 GAA, .914 SV%

It's a homecoming for Carter Hart, a Sherwood Park, Alberta native from just outside Edmonton. Hart has started his sophomore season strong with a 2-0-1 record, a 1.62 GAA and .938 save percentage.

Mikko Koskinen makes his third start of the season and first since Oct. 10, when he allowed three goals and made 28 saves in a win over the Devils. 

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick

Scratches: Sam Morin, Connor Bunnaman

Left Wing Center Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux 13 Kevin Hayes 25 James van Riemsdyk
23 Oskar Lindblom 14 Sean Couturier 11 Travis Konecny
18 Tyler Pitlick 21 Scott Laughton 93 Jake Voracek
44 Chris Stewart 12 Michael Raffl 81 Carsen Twarynski
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 61 Justin Braun  
6 Travis Sanheim 15 Matt Niskanen  
8 Robert Hagg 53 Shayne Gostisbehere  
Goalie    
79 Carter Hart 37 Brian Elliott  

Lineup Notes

The Flyers did not have a morning skate after playing on Tuesday night. There is always a chance that Connor Bunnaman or Sam Morin could slot into the lineup, but that will not be known until closer to game time.

Oilers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Adam Larsson, Joakim Nygard

Scratches: Gaetan Haas, Brandon Manning

Left Wing Center Right Wing
29 Leon Draisaitl 97 Connor McDavid 44 Zack Kassian
39 Alex Chiasson 93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 18 James Neal
 16 Jujhar Khaira 23 Riley Sheahan 52 Patrick Russell
92 Tomas Jurco 60 Markus Granlund  15 Josh Archibald
Defense    
25 Darnell Nurse 74 Ethan Bear  
77 Oscar Klefbom 36 Joel Persson  
4 Kris Russell 83 Matt Benning  
Goalie    
19 Mikko Koskinen 41 Mike Smith  

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (7th), Oilers (2nd)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (5th), Oilers (1st)
  • Recent History vs. Oilers
    • Dec. 14, 2018 – Oilers 4, Flyers 1 (at EDM)
    • Feb. 2, 2019 – Flyers 5, Oilers 4 (F/OT) (at PHI)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Oilers
    • Claude Giroux – 15 GP, 7 G, 12 A, 19 P
    • Jake Voracek – 24 GP, 4 G, 20 A, 24 P
    • James van Riemsdyk – 14 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
    • Carter Hart – 1 GP, 1-0-0, 3.87 GAA, .909 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN

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