Quick Hits: December 10, 2019
1) Looking to minimize the disruption of the starting line combinations -- and also to inject some forechecking presence and ability to create space for linemates -- into the mix with the absence of Travis Konecny from the Flyers lineup, head coach Alain Vigneault moved Tyler Pitlick up to the line combination with Claude Giroux and Morgan Frost.
Additionally, the fact that James van Riemsdyk exclusively plays left wing (the same side preferred by Giroux) and Pitlick is more comfortable at right wing than left factored into the decision. The rest of the primary top three lines that points in seven of the last eight games (6-1-1) will be kept intact for now. Chris Stewart will step back onto the fourth line.
28 Claude Giroux - 48 Morgan Frost - 18 Tyler Pitlick
23 Oskar Lindblom - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jakub Voracek
21 Scott Laughton - 13 Kevin Hayes - 49 Joel Farabee
25 James van Riemsdyk - 24 Mikhail Vorobyev - 44 Chris Stewart
9 Ivan Provorov - 15 Matt Niskanen
6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 8 Roberg Hägg
79 Carter Hart
37 Brian Elliott
2) The power play units, which have been struggling for most of the last six weeks, underwent large-scale shifting of personnel. The power play units at practice reflected aspects -- minus Konecny, of course -- of combinations the team experimented with at practice last Friday. The second unit is identical to a combo tried on a few reps on Friday.
PP1: Giroux, Lindblom, Couturier, Voracek, Ghost.
PP2: Hayes, Frost, JVR, Provorov, Niskanen
3) The Flyers Alumni Association has launched a brand-new program for this year's holiday season: the 14 Days (originally 12 Days) of Christmas Season Giving. Each day, the Alumni are donating money and/or volunteer time to charities -- both big charities, and small local ones -- community organizations and families/individuals in need. To learn more about the program and find out how you, too, can help assist any of these recipients,
click here daily. Each day, a new organization or recipient will be added.
4) The December edition of Broadcasters' Roundtable -- featuring moderator Tim Saunders, Jim Jackson, Steve Coates, Chris Therien and me -- for Flyers Radio 24/7 is now available on Flyers Podcast Central. To download,
click here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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