Still in search of their first win of the 2014-15 regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers (0-2-1) will take on the powerful Anaheim Ducks (2-1-0) at the Wells Fargo Center on tonight.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the teams, and the lone clash at the Wells Fargo Center. The clubs will rematch in Anaheim on Dec. 3.
After tonight's game, the Flyers will have a few days of practice in Voorhees. Starting on Saturday night, Philadelphia embarks on a three-game road trip that will take them to Dallas, Chicago and Pittsburgh.
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The Ducks led the Western Conference last season with 116 points and they look better on paper this season now that they have a three-headed monster of stars with Ryan Kesler joining 2014 Hart Trophy finalist Ryan Getslaf and 2011 Hart winner Corey Perry.
All three are off to fast starts for the Ducks, who have won two in a row since opening the season with a loss in Pittsburgh. Perry has four goals and five points in three games, while Getslaf and Kesler each have two goals and five points.
The Flyers, 0-2-1 thus far, could get a break if the Ducks' Getzlaf/Perry line is missing left wing Ryan Maroon, who is day-to-day with a lower body injury suffered in the Ducks' 5-1 win in Buffalo on Monday.
Flyers Outlook
In their two games, the Flyers lost a low-scoring (2-1) game in Boston and a high-scoring (6-4) home match against the Devils. Philly showed resiliency in battling back from deficits in both games but ultimately walked away empty.
Saturday's game against Montreal was the most disturbing. The Flyers looked dominant in building a 3-0 lead over the Canadiens and cruised into the third period with what should have been a comfortable lead. In the third period, the wheels fell off for the Flyers. The Habs attacked in waves en route to a 19-4 shot disparity and three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime.
After an unsuccessful overtime power play for the Flyers and four straight Philadephia shooters failed to score on Carey Price, Montreal's P.A. Parenteau won the game. Ray Emery (35 saves on 38 shots in regulation and overtime, 3-for-4 in the shootout) deserved a better fate and ended up being the main reason why Philly even got one point from the game.
Assistant captain Wayne Simmonds has been the Flyers' best player through the first three games. The power forward has racked up four goals -- an even strength tally and power play goal apiece against both New Jersey and Montreal -- and five points.
With Vincent Lecavalier out two weeks as a result of taking a puck off his left foot in the first period of Saturday's game, 29-year-old first-year forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has been moved up from the fourth line to center Lecavalier's line with Brayden Schenn (one assist in three games) and Simmonds.
Yesterday, the Flyers officially upgraded injured defenseman Braydon Coburn (lower-body injury) to day-to-day status after the veteran was examined by a specialist. Nicklas Grossmann missed yesterday's practice due to a stomach virus but is expected to be ready to play tonight.
Steve Mason is likely to get the start tonight in goal for the Flyers He was outstanding on opening night in Boston (31 saves on 33 shots) and ordinary in the home opener against New Jersey (20 saves on 25 shots). None of the first four goals he yielded in the Devils game were his fault -- one was scored through a heavy screen, two were unstoppable deflections and one was scored by a wide-open Patrik Elias from point blank range. However, the game winning goal by ex-Flyer Dainius Zubrus was a stoppable shot.
Ducks Outlook
Tonight is the fourth and final match of a four-game road trip to start the Anaheim Ducks' 2014-15 regular season. After dropping a 6-4 decision on opening night in Pittsburgh, the Ducks have won their last two games.
On Saturday night in Detroit, the Ducks and Red Wings entered the third period tied at 1-1. After Gustav Nyquist put the Wings ahead early in the third period, Matt Beleskey re-tied the score a little more than one minute later. With time ticking down below 25 seconds remaining in regulation, 2013-14 Hart Trophy finalist Ryan Getzlaf scored his second goal of the game to give Anaheim a 3-2 win. Frederik Andersen (27 saves on 29 shots) earned the win in goal.
Last night, the Ducks paid a visit to Buffalo. Anaheim took a 2-0 lead into the third period on a power play goal by Corey Perry (third goal of the young season) and rookie William Karlsson's first NHL goal. In the third period, Anaheim went to score three more times to savage the Sabres by a 5-1 final. Beleskey extended the lead to 3-0 before Karlsson notched his second goal of the game. Ryan Kesler completed the scoring by converting a penalty shot. Andersen, who saw just 12 shots for the game and stopped 11, got the victory.
Former Flyers farmhand Patrick Maroon, who has been skating on Getzlaf's line and compiled three points in his first three games, sustained a leg injury in last night's game. He is out of the lineup tonight. Dany Heatley (groin) is also unavailable for the Ducks.
With the Flyers having had an off-day on Sunday and an idle night on the schedule last night, Philadelphia is theoretically the fresher team. Tonight's game is Anaheim's third in four nights and the second half of back-to-back games.
Nevertheless, the Ducks are a dangerous team under any circumstances. They are one of the NHL's most physical teams. The top line with Getzlaf and Perry is highly skilled and aggressive. The team added veteran Kesler in the off-season to provide a one-two punch with Getzlaf down the middle. The team also has a skilled supporting cast with the likes of Jakob Silfverberg (two assists), Karlsson, Beleskey (two goals) and others all capable of making timely plays.
The Anaheim blueline features grizzled veteran Francois Beauchemin but is primarily marked by its core of young and mobile puck movers such as Cam Fowler (one assist), Sami Vatanen (three assists) and Hampus Lindholm (one assist). The club also has former Minnesota defensive defenseman Clayton Stoner and Ben Lovejoy to reliably fill minutes.
The Flyers learned firsthand last season how tough the Ducks can be to beat. Philly actually played two of its better overall games of the 2013-14 regular season against Anaheim and came away with a pair of regulation losses to show for their toil.
On Oct. 29 of last season, the Flyers dominated the Ducks in the first period, building a 2-0 lead. The momentum reversed in the middle stanza but Philly managed to take a 2-1 lead to the second intermission. In the third period, Anaheim scored early to tie the game on a Kyle Palmieri goal and then won the game late in regulation on another tally by Palmieri.
On Jan 31, the teams met again in Anaheim. Philly played a generally solid game and stayed out of the penalty box. They stayed competitive throughout the night. Nevertheless, they still gave up five goals and lost the game, 5-3.
In the rematch in Anaheim, Lecavalier (power play goal), Matt Read and Michael Raffl scored for the Flyers in a losing cause. Mason stopped 23 of 27 shots. For Anaheim, Getzlaf had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, while Perry, Maroon, Daniel Winnik (shorthanded) and the now-retired Saku Koivu (empty net) also scored. Andersen stopped 27 of 30 shots.
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