Flyers-Penguins: Game 11 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Flyers three-game winning streak was snapped by the Islanders on Sunday night in a game that was more lopsided than the score indicated. The 5-3 loss wasn't pretty, especially following a dramatic win the night before.

The Flyers have had their share of dramatic finishes against Tuesday night's opponent of late. Last season, the Flyers won their first two games against the Penguins in overtime, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to win the 2019 Stadium Series in Philadelphia in overtime, 4-3, and scoring a goal in the final minute of the third period to tie the game before winning in the final seconds of overtime, 2-1, in Pittsburgh just a couple weeks later.

The two teams meet for the first time in the 2019-20 season on Tuesday. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Pittsburgh Penguins GP G A P
Travis Konecny 10 6 7 13 Sidney Crosby 12 4 10 14
Jake Voracek 10 4 5 9 Jake Guentzel 12 6 6 12
Oskar Lindblom 10 5 2 7 Kris Letang 12 4 6 10
Kevin Hayes 10 4 3 7 Patric Hornqvist 12 5 4 9
Claude Giroux  10 2 5 7 Brandon Tanev 12 3 3 6
 
Player to Watch
11 Travis Konecny 87 Sidney Crosby
Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, -4 Last 5 Games: 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, -1
 
Travis Konecny has points in nine of the Flyers 10 games so far this season. He's been all around the net, into the dirty areas and displaying the shot of a sniper in the early season. For the Flyers to have success in Pittsburgh, it will be about speed and quick decisions with the puck, both areas where Konecny can be an asset.
 
Sidney Crosby has been on a bit of a cold streak. He has gone five straight games without a goal with just two points in that time, following a start where he had 12 points in the first seven games. For a player of Crosby's level, it probably means he's due, and his career numbers against the Flyers are outstanding with 41 goals and 58 assists for 99 points in 67 career games.
 
Projected Goalie Matchup
37 Brian Elliott 30 Matt Murray
6 GP, 3-1-0, 2.28 GAA, .926 SV% 9 GP, 6-3-0, 2.33 GAA, .918 SV%

Brian Elliott got the win on Saturday despite allowing four goals on 26 shots. He entered in relief of Carter Hart on Sunday and stopped all 19 shots by the Islanders the rest of the way. He gets another start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Matt Murray had his best start of the season on Saturday when he made 25 saves on his way to a shutout against Dallas. Murray has won five of his last six starts, allowing two goals or less in four of them. Murray has a career 4-2-2 record and 2.76 GAA in 11 games.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick, Scott Laughton

Scratches: Sam Morin

Left Wing Center Right Wing
25 James van Riemsdyk 28 Claude Giroux 93 Jake Voracek
23 Oskar Lindblom 14 Sean Couturier 11 Travis Konecny
12 Michael Raffl 13 Kevin Hayes 49 Joel Farabee
18 Tyler Pitlick 24 Mikhail Vorobyev 44 Chris Stewart
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 15 Matt Niskanen  
6 Travis Sanheim 61 Justin Braun  
8 Robert Hagg 53 Shayne Gostisbehere  
Goalie    
37 Brian Elliott 79 Carter Hart  

Lineup Notes

Robert Hagg returns for Sam Morin in the lineup for Tuesday as the only change to the lineup.

Penguins Projected Lineup

Injuries: Evgeni Malkin

Scratches: Sam Lafferty, Juuso Riikola, Chad Ruhwedel

Left Wing Center Right Wing
59 Jake Guentzel 87 Sidney Crosby 12 Dominik Simon
18 Alex Galchenyuk 27 Nick Bjugstad 72 Patric Hornqvist
 24 Dominik Kahun 19 Jared McCann 17 Bryan Rust
46 Zach Aston-Reese 53 Teddy Blueger  13 Brandon Tanev
Defense    
8 Brian Dumoulin 58 Kris Letang  
28 Marcus Pettersson 4 Justin Schultz  
3 Jack Johnson 6 John Marino  
Goalie    
30 Matt Murray 35 Tristan Jarry  

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (T-5th), Penguins (21st)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-9th), Penguins (12th)
  • Recent History vs. Penguins
    • Dec. 1, 2018 – Flyers 4, Penguins 2 (at PIT)
    • Feb. 11, 2019 – Penguins 4, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
    • Feb. 23, 2019 – Flyers 4, Penguins 3 (F/OT) (at PHI)
    • March 17, 2019 – Flyers 2, Penguins 1 (F/OT) (at PIT)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Penguins
    • Claude Giroux – 48 GP, 16 G, 34 A, 50 P
    • Jake Voracek – 40 GP, 21 G, 20 A, 41 P
    • Shayne Gostisbehere – 16 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 P
    • Brian Elliott – 14 GP, 8-3-2, 2.88 GAA, .919 SV%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Jake Voracek needs one goal to reach 200 for his career.
    • Kevin Hayes needs four goals to reach 100 for his career.

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

Go to top button