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Flyers Gameday: 1/1/17 @ ANA, WJC Updates |
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UPDATE 2:00 PM ET
The Flyers have activated Matt Read from the injured reserve list and reassigned Taylor Leier to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Nick Cousins will be a healthy scratch, along with Boyd Gordon.
PREVIEW: FLYERS @ DUCKS
Playing their first game of the 2017 calendar year, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (19-14-4) are in California to take on Randy Carlyle's Anaheim Ducks (18-12-8). Game time at the Honda Center is 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia locally and nationally on NHL Network.
This is the second and final of two meetings this season between the interconference teams. The Flyers played their home opener of the 2016-17 season against the Ducks on Oct. 20, sustaining a 3-2 loss in regulation.
Flyers Outlook
Following a 10-game winning streak, the Flyers have posted a 1-4-1 over the last six games and have dropped three games in a row in regulation. On Friday, the Flyers were blanked, 2-0, by the host San Jose Sharks. Philadelphia has scored one or zero goals in five of the last eight games.
The Flyers have a losing record on the road (8-9-1) and a winning record (12-5-3) on home ice this season. Sunday's game ends a four-game road trip bookening the holiday break.
On Friday, the defending Western Conference champion Sharks manhandled the Flyers in all three zones, racked up a 34-21 shot advantage (12-7, 9-7, 13-7) and were credited with 11 takeaways to just two for the Flyers.
Primarily, it was the play of goaltenders Steve Mason (11 saves on 12 shots) and Anthony Stolarz (21 saves on 22 shots) that kept the Flyers in the game.
Mason was mostly left to fend for himself in the first period and kept the game from getting out of hand. The goalie had no chance of stopping a late first period Patrick Marleau power play goal scored on a scramble near the net with two Flyers screening him (and defenseman Andrew MacDonald bumping into him). Mason suffered an apparent hand injury in a late-period collision with Joe Thornton, finished the period and then left the game.
Mason is questionable for Sunday's game.
Stolarz, making his fourth NHL appearance and second relief outing, did everything the Flyers could have asked of him. He kept the score at 1-0 for the next 35-plus minutes but, apart from sporadic chances, the Flyers could not generate much momentum. Philly was unable to solve former University of North Dakota goaltender Aaron Dell.
At 15:23 of the third period, the Sharks added some insurance. Off the rush, Joe Pavelski fed the puck across to Justin Braun. From the right slot, Braun fired a shot in and out of the net to Stolarz's glove side.
Rookie forward Travis Konecny was a healthy scratch in San Jose. He is likely to return to the lineup in Anahem. Michael Raffl (lower-body injury) returned to the lineup. Roman Lyubimov was also a healthy scratch on Friday, replaced by veteran checking center Boyd Gordon.
Goaltender Michal Neuvirth, who has been out since mid-November with a sprained left knee, has practiced with the team and could return when the Flyers come back from this road trip. Elsewhere on the injury front, Radko Gudas (upper body) sat out Friday's game. Matt Read (midsection) and Mark Streit (sprained left shoulder) re-joined practice on Tuesday but are not ready for contact yet.
Jakub Voracek leads the Flyers with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 38 games. Claude Giroux is tied for second on the team with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists), while Wayne Simmonds paces the club with 17 goals and eight power play tallies among his 31 points.
Brayden Schenn is fourth on the Flyers' scoring leaderboard with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 35 games. He's followed by Konecny (four goals, 14 assists), Shayne Gostisbehere (four goals, 13 assists) and the injured Streit (five goals, 11 assists). Rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) while dressing in all 37 games. The 19-year-old leads the Flyers in ice time.
Ducks Outlook
The Ducks bring a 10-4-2 home record into Sunday's game; they are 8-8-6 on the road. Anaheim is 4-3-3 over its last 10 games. The team enters this game coming off a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.
The Flyers did not fare well against the big lineup that San Jose ices, and face a similar challenge against the Ducks. Additionally, the Flyers recently struggling penalty kill must right its ship against the NHL's 2nd-ranked power play. The Ducks also by far are the best faceoff team in the NHL, winning 56 percent of its draws this season.
Anaheim got off to a 2-0 lead against the Canucks but was unable to protect the advantage. Ryan Getzlaf (fifth goal of the season) and Rickard Rackell (16th goal) scored in a losing cause for the Ducks, while John Gibson stopped 23 of 26 shots. Ryan Miller denied 24 of 26 Ducks' shots.
On the injury front Simon Despres (concussion, out since opener), Nate Thompson (Achilles surgery) and Clayton Stoner (lower body) are out. Riddled with the flu, defenseman Sami Vatanen has missed the last two games.
Veteran forward Ryan Kesler leads the Ducks in scoring with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 38 games. He is followed by former Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry (seven goals, 22 assists), team captain Getzlaf (five goals, 24 assists), Jakob Silfverberg (11 goals, 13 assists, plus-10), Rakell (team-high 16 goals, seven assists), defenseman Cam Fowler (nine goals, 13 assists) and iron man forward Andrew Cogliano (nine goals, nine assists).
Gibson has made 26 starts and two relief appearances this season. He has posted a record of 12-9-7, a 2.58 GAA, .908 save percentage and one shutout. Veteran netminder Jonathan Bernier (6-3-1, 3.07 GAA, .897) has started 12 games and made three relief appearances.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.87 (7th), Ducks 2.68 (15th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.97 (T-23rd), Ducks 2.76 (18th)
Power play efficiency: Flyers 21.8% (6th), Ducks 24.4% (2nd)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 80.5% (20th), Ducks 81.6 (15th)
Shots on goal per game: Flyers 30.7 (8th), Ducks 29.3 (19th)
Shots against per game: Flyers 28.9 (8th), Ducks 28.8 (7th)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.7% (10th), Ducks 56.0% (28th)
Projected Lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
11 Travis Konecny - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 22 Dale Weise
76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 P-E Bellemare - 13 Roman Lyubimov
9 Ivan Provorov - 47 Andrew MacDonald
15 Michael Del Zotto- 3 Radko Gudas
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 23 Brandon Manning
35 Steve Mason
[41 Anthony Stolarz]
Scratches: Michal Neuvirth (IR, knee, Mark Streit (shoulder), Boyd Gordon (healthy), Nick Schultz (healthy).
SHARKS
67 Rickard Rakell – 15 Ryan Getzlaf – 10 Corey Perry
7 Andrew Cogliano – 17 Ryan Kesler – 33 Jakob Silfverberg
37 Nick Ritchie – 50 Antoine Vermette – 86 Ondrej Kase
74 Joseph Cramarossa – 48 Logan Shaw – 40 Jared Boll
4 Cam Fowler – 45 Sami Vatanen
47 Hampus Lindholm – 42 Josh Manson
5 Korbinian Holzer – 2 Kevin Bieksa
36 John Gibson
[1 Jonathan Bernier]
Scratches: Simon Despres (IR, concussion), Nate Thompson (IR, Achilles tendon surgery), Clayton Stoner (lower body), Sami Vatanen (flu, questionable), Shea Theodore (healthy),
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FLYERS WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATES
1) Flyers defense prospect Philippe Myers sustained a concussion -- his second within the year -- on a high hit away from the puck by Team USA forward Luke Kunin in the second period of Team Canada's 3-1 loss to Team USA on Saturday at the World Junior Championship. Kunin, the Minnesota Wild's first-round pick in 2016 and a standout sophomore forward for the University of Wisconsin, was ejected from the game and received an interference major. Kunin left his feet to deliver the illegal hit. Myers is out for Team Canada's next game and doubtful for the rest of the tournament.
2) Flyers goaltending prospect Carter Hart served as Canada's backup goalie against Team USA. Sunday is an off day in the tournament. On Monday, Canada will play the Czech Republic in the single-elimination medal round quarterfinals.
3) Tanner Laczynski, who had one goal and one assist in four preliminary round games, did not get on the scoresheet for Team USA against Canada. The Americans play Switzerland in the medal-round quarterfinals on Monday.
4) David Kase scored a late goal and assist for the Czech Republic in a 5-2 loss to Team Sweden on Saturday. Flyers goalie prospect Felix Sandström was rested for this game, but is likely to be back in goal for the medal round. David Bernhardt picked up his third assist in four games and recorded five shots on goal. The Swedes play Slovakia in the medal-round quarterfinals on Monday, while the Czechs play Canada. Flyers goalie prospect Matej Tomek has been the better of the two Slovak goaltenders thus far.
5) Russia downed Slovakia, 2-0, on Saturday. Neither Mikhail Vorobyov (one shot, 17:29 of ice time) nor German Rubtsov (9:43 of ice time) figured in the scoring. Tomek stopped 28 of 30 shots to keep the game close as the Slovaks mustered just 15 shots (seven through two periods) for the game. Russia plays Denmark in the medal-round quarterfinals.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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