Flyers vs. Stars Preview: Second Half Starter

Tuesday’s loss to Toronto marked the halfway point of the season for the Flyers. A 17-19-5 record not only has them on the outside looking in to the playoffs, but much closer to the bottom of the conference than the top. After going 8-2-2 over a 12-game stretch in November, things have been a struggle since, with a 5-9-2 record in the last 16 games.

Next up for the Flyers is a meeting against the Dallas Stars, a perennial contender in the Western Conference.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Travis Konecny scored twice on Tuesday to reach the 20-goal mark at the halfway point of the season, putting him on pace for a 40-goal season. Konecny also has four goals in the last four games.

Jason Robertson has been heating up of late. In his last 10 games, Robertson has 13 points, nearly half of his season total. Robertson has four multi-point games in his last five.

Sam Ersson gets the start for the Flyers. Ersson makes his return to the lineup after leaving with an injury on Dec. 31 against the Sharks. He had made 15 saves on 15 shots to that point in the game.

Casey DeSmith gets the start for the Stars. DeSmith makes his first start since Dec. 31, when he made 21 saves on 23 shots in a win over Buffalo. DeSmith has won three straight starts, allowing five goals in that time.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Nick Deslauriers (injury), Olle Lycksell (healthy), Erik Johnson (healthy), Aleksei Kolosov (healthy)

Stars Scratches: Tyler Seguin (injury), Mason Marchment (injury), Brendan Smith (healthy)

Lineup Notes

• Flyers: Ivan Fedotov will serve as the backup in Sam Ersson‘s return to the net. Aleksei Kolosov will be a scratch. There are no other changes to the Flyers lineup.
• Stars: Matt Dumba returns to the lineup after being a scratch for the last game on Tuesday in New York. Brendan Smith comes out of the lineup.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (14.9% – 29th), Stars (16.8% – 27th)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (78.4% – 17th), Stars (84.8% – 2nd)
• Recent History vs. Stars 
  • Jan. 18, 2024 – Flyers 5, Stars 1 (at PHI)
  • Oct. 21, 2023 – Stars 5, Flyers 4 (F/OT) (at DAL)
• Team Leaders vs. Stars
  • Owen Tippett – 9 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 P
  • Travis Konecny – 13 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 8 P
  • Morgan Frost – 4 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P
• Milestone Watch
  • Sean Couturier needs two goals to reach 200 for his career.
  • Joel Farabee needs four points to reach 200 for his career.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen needs four points to reach 300 for his career.

Where to Watch

• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: Flyers Broadcast Network