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Game 58 Preview: Flyers @ Flames
In the third game of a four-game western road trip, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (22-25-10) are in Alberta on Monday afternoon to take on Darryl Sutter's Calgary Flames (26-19-11). Game time at the Scotiabank Saddledome is 4:00 p.m. ET.
This is the second and final meeting between the teams this season, and the lone game in Calgary. On Nov. 21 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flames defeated the Flyers by a 5-2 score.
The Flyers enter Monday's winless in their last four games (0-3-1), with three straight losses in regulation. On Saturday, the Flyers sustained a 6-2 road loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Scott Laughton (13th) and Morgan Frost (PPG, 11th) scored in a losing cause for the Flyers. Hart stopped 17 of 21 shots. The final two Vancouver goals were shorthanded empty net goals.
The Flames are 2-2-1 over their last five games and 5-3-2 in their last 10. The Flames are playing the third and final game of a three-game homestand. On Saturday, the Flames skated to a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers. Andrew Mangiapane (12th) and Nazem Kadri (21st) scored in regulation before Mikael Backlund (11th) won the game on an overtime power play goal (11th).
With the players in the midst of playing three games in four nights, the team did not hold practice on Sunday and will not have a morning skate in Calgary today. Tortorella will speak to the media at 1:45 p.m. ET to confirm the team's starting goalie and note if there are any personnel changes (specifically, whether the team goes back to 12 forwards and six defensemen or sticks with an 11F/7D arrangement as they featured in Vancouver). Samuel Ersson is the projected starter in net but that is not yet confirmed.
Potential starting lineups (based on the first shifts from last game, subject to change)
Flyers
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 49 Noah Cates - 11 Travis Konecny
13 Kevin Hayes - 21 Scott Laughton - Owen Tippett
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 62 Olle Lycksell
25 James van Riemsdyk - 38 Patrick Brown - 57 Wade Allison
9 Ivan Provorov - 6 Travis Sanheim
45 Cam York - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 77 Tony DeAngelo
33 Samuel Ersson
[79 Carter Hart]
Note: As the Vancouver game progressed, the primary combinations were Hayes-Laughton-Tippett, JVR-Frost-Konecny, and Deslauriers (or JVR)-Cates-Allison, and Farabee- (rotating centers)-Brown.
Flames
29 Dillon Dube - 28 Elias Lindholm - 73 Tyler Toffoli
49 Jakob Pelletier - 91 Nazem Kadri - 10 Jonathan Huberdeau
88 Andrew Mangiapane - 11 Mikael Backlund - 20 Blake Coleman
17 Milan Lucic - 22 Trevor Lewis - 24 Brett Ritchie
One evening after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat three separate times in 4-3 (1-0) shootout win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, a disastrous third period proved fatal to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (25-20-5) in a 6-4 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack (21-20-9) at the PPL Center in Allentown on Sunday.
The Phantoms, who have lost three of their last four games, have dropped back into fifth place in the American Hockey League's Atlantic Division.
On Sunday, the Phantoms appeared to be in good shape to defeat Hartford after building a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard courtesy of a three-goal outburst in the second period. In the third period, however, Lehigh Valley imploded under the weight of a five-goal onslaught from Hartford.
The Phantoms wasted a hat trick from veteran power forward Garrett Wilson (goals No. 6, 7 and 8 this season), a three-point performance from rookie Elliot Desnoyers (PPG for his team-leading 18th tally of the season, two assists) and rookie Bobby Brink's 9th and 10th assists since returning from offseason hip surgery. Ronnie Attard and Isaac Ratcliffe assisted on Desnoyers' power play goal in the second period.
With Samuel Ersson on NHL recall. Felix Sandström remaining on the NHL roster due to concerns over the goalie potentially being claimed if placed on waivers, and AHL veteran Troy Grosenick having only returned from a three-plus month injury absence and not yet available to start on back-to-back days, the Phantoms turned to minor league veteran Pat Nagle to start Sunday's game. While hardly all on Nagle, the goalie was tagged for five goals against on 31 shots including four goals on 10 shots as the wheels fell off for Lehigh Valley in the third period.
Gustav Rydahl canceled out Wilson's hat trick with three goals of his own (5th, 6th and 7th) for Hartford. The Wolf Pack also received goals from Will Cuylle (PPG, 16th), Libor Hajek (1st) and Turner Elson (ENG. 12th). In net, veteran Louis Domigue stopped 22 of 26 Phantoms shots.
The Phantoms are off until Wednesday. They will then close out their February schedule with three road games in five nights against divisional opponents, playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday, Hershey on Saturday and Bridgeport on Sunday.
Phantoms Lineup vs. Hartford:
20 Max Willman - 51 Artem Anisimov - 71 Tyson Foerster
17 Garrett Wilson - 91 Elliot Desnoyers - 23 Bobby Brink
48 Alex Kile - 18 Jackson Cates - 42 Hayden Hodgson
19 Isaac Ratcliffe - 24 Adam Brooks - 14 Zayde Wisdom
4 Egor Zamula - 47 Louie Belpedio
37 Adam Ginning - 12 Ronnie Attard
44 Kevin Connauton - 3 Adam Karashik
35 Pat Nagle
[1 Troy Grosenick]
Scratches: 9 Cal O'Reilly (injury), 13 Ryan Fitzgerald (illness), 15 Jordy Bellerive (injury), 39 Charlie Gerard *healthy), 25 Coper Marody (illness), 29 Wyatte Wylie (healthy).
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