Game 46 Preview: Flyers vs. Blackhawks
Playing their third game in four nights, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (19-19-7) are home on Thursday evening to take on Luke Richardson's Chicago Blackhawks (12-26-4). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET.
Thursday's game is
2000's Night at the Wells Fargo Center: a commemoration of the Flyers teams of the first decade of the millennium as part of the Throwback Thursday series.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference clubs, and the lone game in Philadelphia. The teams will rematch at the United Center on April 13 (final day of the 2022-23 regular season).
The Flyers, who are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, enter this game coming off a
5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Wells Fargo Center. Kevin Hayes compiled a hat trick, while Rasmus Ristolainen notched a shorthanded goal and Morgan Frost scored on a nifty between-the-legs shot under the crossbar from along the goal line. Samuel Ersson stopped 24 of 26 shots to earn the win.
The Blackhawks, who are 4-1-0 in their last five games after losing their previous five in regulation, are coming off a 4-3 overtime home win against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
For a more in-depth game preview including team trends, rankings and keys to victory for the Flyers, see today's
Five Things on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com
Potential lineups (subject to change)
Flyers
86 Joel Farabee - 49 Noah Cates - 11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk - 48 Morgan Frost - 74 Owen Tippett
13 Kevin Hayes - 21 Scott Laughton - 57 Wade Allison
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 38 Patrick Brown - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 77 Tony DeAngelo
24 Nick Seeler - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
79 Carter Hart
33 Samuel Ersson
'
Blackhawks
90 Tyler Johnson - 13 Max Domi - 88 Patrick Kane
23 Philipp Kurashev - 19 Jonathan Toews - 11 Taylor Raddysh
17 Jason Dickinson - 24 Sam Lafferty - 89 Andreas Athanasiou
43 Colin Blackwell - 58 MacKenzie Entwhistle - 52 Reese Johnson
6 Jake McCabe - 4 Seth Jones
8 Jack Johnson - 5 Connor Murphy
41 Isaak Phillips - 82 Caleb Jones
34 Petr Mrzek
30 Jaxon Stauber
***********
Phantoms Sweep B2B in Cleveland
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (18-14-5) swept back-to-back road games against the Cleveland Monsters (14-17-5) on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland.
On Tuesday, the Phantoms prevailed 3-1 as Felix Sandström (28 saves on 29 shots) flirted with a shutout until 19:40 of the third period. The Phantoms got a first period power play goal by defenseman Ronnie Attard (5th), a mid-second period goal from defenseman Louie Belpedio (3rd) and an empty-net goal on a breakaway from Bobby Brink (3rd) at 18:45 of the third period. Jackson Cates collected two assists, while Elliot Desnoyers, Brink, Max Willman and Belpedio chipped in one helper apiece.
On Wednesday, Lehigh Valley leading scorer Olle Lycksell tallied a second-period power play goal (7th) and, later, assisted on Belpedio's game-winner at 4:00 of 3-on-3 sudden death overtime in a 2-1 win for the Phantoms. Making his final appearance of a two-week conditioning loan from the Flyers, Sandström stopped 20 of 21 shots.
The Phantoms dominated the opening 40 minutes of the game (25-8 shot on goal advantage including 16-4 in the second period) but Cleveland goalie Jet Greaves helped his team get the game and then to overtime tied at 1-1. Sandström made a dozen saves in the third period and one more in OT before Belpedio won the game.
Veteran two-way center Artem Anisimov picked up his seventh and eighth assists of the season (19th and 20th points) in his 22nd game with Lehigh Valley. AHL All-Star Game selection Tyson Foerster earned a secondary assist on Lycksell's power play goal.
Zayde Wisdom, back with the Phantoms after a three-game assignment to get some playing time with the ECHL's Reading Royals (0g, 2a), returned to the Phantoms lineup on Wednesday. He replaced Cooper Marody, who was banged up in Tuesday's game (although he completed the game after missing several shifts in the first period).
The Phantoms, who are 4-1-2 thus far in January, return to action on Friday when they pay a visit to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (18-12-5).
Phantoms lineup (Wednesday's game)
28 Olle Lycksell - 51 Artem Anisimov - 23 Bobby Brink
17 Garrett Wilson - 91 Elliot Desnoyers - 71 Tyson Foerster
24 Adam Brooks - 9 Cal O'Reilly - 42 Hayden Hodgson
20 Max Willman -18 Jackson Cates - 14 Zayde Wisdom
4 Egor Zamula - 47 Louie Belpedio
37 Adam Ginning - 12 Ronnie Attard
44 Kevin Connauton - 29 Wyatte Wylie
32 Felix Sandström
[35 Pat Nagle]
Scratches: 19 Isaac Ratcliffe (healthy), 25 Cooper Marody (injured in Tuesday's game), 15 Jordy Bellerive (illness), 6 Linus Högberg (healthy), 13 Ryan Fitzgerald (healthy), 3 Adam Karashik (healthy).
Note: Tuesday's lineup was identical with the exception of Marody starting at RW4 and Wisdom being scratched. Ratcliffe last dressed in the Dec. 30 game and has been a healthy scratch in eight straight games (Dec. 31 through Jan. 18).
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