Flyers-Avalanche: Game 31 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Flyers got a win in a chippy game on Saturday afternoon against the Senators, but it came at a cost. As the Flyers embark on a three-game road trip, they will do so without their leading scorer.

Travis Konecny will be out for at least the next three games due to a concussion. That leaves the rest of the Flyers with a tough task on the road against three challenging Western Conference opponents. It starts with the Colorado Avalanche, who are challenging for the best record in the Western Conference.

Game time is at 9:30 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Colorado Avalanche GP G A P
Travis Konecny 30 11 17 28 Nathan MacKinnon 30 19 28 47
Sean Couturier 30 8 14 22 Cale Makar 29 8 20 28
Jake Voracek 30 6 15 21 Joonas Donskoi 30 13 14 27
Claude Giroux 30 9 12 21 Andre Burakovsky 27 12 11 23
Ivan Provorov  30 7 12 19 Nazem Kadri 27 10 10 20
 
Player to Watch
18 Tyler Pitlick 29 Nathan MacKinnon
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, +2 Last 5 Games: 3 G, 5 A, 8 P, +2
 
With the injury to Konecny, Tyler Pitlick gets a lineup promotion to the top nine. Playing alongside Claude Giroux and Morgan Frost, he'll be a player worth watching on Wednesday night to see if the new combination makes an impact.
 
The Avalanche have dealt with injuries all season, but one player that has consistently been in the lineup and on top of his game is Nathan MacKinnon. The headliner of the top line is already at 47 points through 30 games this season and has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in the last 11 games.  
 
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart 39 Pavel Francouz
19 GP, 10-5-3, 2.39 GAA, .909 SV% 12 GP, 7-2-1, 2.50 GAA, .923 SV%

Carter Hart allowed three goals in Saturday's game, but made 27 saves in another win, his 10th of the season. That makes four straight victories for Hart, who gets back in goal on Wednesday to face the Avalanche.

Pavel Francouz has assumed the number one netminder role already in the wake of an injury to Philipp Grubauer in November. Grubauer left Saturday's game with an injury in the first period, so Francouz filled in for the remainder of Saturday's win — stopping all 16 shots faced — and took the loss on Monday night against Calgary in overtime. With Grubauer's status still up in the air, he likely gets another start on Wednesday night.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Oskar Lindblom, Travis Konecny, Phil Myers, Michael Raffl, Nolan Patrick

Left Wing Center Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux 14 Sean Couturier 93 Jake Voracek
21 Scott Laughton 13 Kevin Hayes 49 Joel Farabee
25 James van Riemsdyk 48 Morgan Frost 18 Tyler Pitlick
72 David Kase 24 Mikhail Vorobyev 44 Chris Stewart
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 15 Matt Niskanen  
6 Travis Sanheim 61 Justin Braun  
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 8 Robert Hagg  
Goalie    
79 Carter Hart 37 Brian Elliott  

Lineup Notes

The Flyers are dealing with some injuries that force changes to the lineup. Konecny is out indefinitely and both Phil Myers and Oskar Lindblom will not play due to injury. Chris Stewart and Robert Hagg come back into the lineup and David Kase was also called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and will make his NHL debut.

Avalanche Projected Lineup

Injuries: Colin Wilson, Erik Johnson, Cale Makar, Philipp Grubauer

Scratches: Vladislav Kamenev

Left Wing Center Right Wing
92 Gabriel Landeskog 29 Nathan MacKinnon 96 Mikko Rantanen
72 Joonas Donskoi 91 Nazem Kadri 95 Andre Burakovsky
11 Matt Calvert 41 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 13 Valeri Nichushkin
83 Matt Nieto 37 JT Compher 17 Tyson Jost
Defense    
16 Nikita Zadorov 49 Samuel Girard  
27 Ryan Graves 28 Ian Cole  
48 Calle Rosen 44 Mark Barberio  
Goalie    
39 Pavel Francouz 30 Adam Werner  

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (19th), Avalanche (16th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-5th), Avalanche (21st)
  • Recent History vs. Avalanche
    • Oct. 6, 2018 – Avalanche 5, Flyers 2 (at COL)
    • Oct. 22, 2018 – Avalanche 4, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Avalanche
    • Kevin Hayes – 9 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 P
    • Claude Giroux – 14 GP, 8 G, 5 A, 13 P
    • James van Riemsdyk – 14 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 P
    • Jake Voracek – 25 GP, 6 G, 12 A, 18 P

Where to Watch
TV: NBCSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

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