Although the Ducks will be without defenseman Cam Fowler for an unspecified amount of time due to a knee injury, Hampus Lindholm is expected to make his season debut tonight. Their captain, Ryan Getzlaf, is also expected to play his first game since October 11 vs. the New York Islanders.
John Gibson will make his eighth consecutive start while Brian Elliott gets the nod for the Flyers.
Anaheim is in the midst of playing seven consecutive games against Eastern Conference opponents, which began on October 15 vs. the Buffalo Sabres. The Ducks posted a 16-10-6 record against the East last season, including a 9-4-3 record vs. the Atlantic Division and a 7-6-3 mark vs. the Metropolitan Division.
Tonight's contest concludes the two-game season set between these two clubs, marking the Ducks' earliest series finale of the 2017-18 campaign. The Ducks enter tonight's game with a 17-8-8 all-time mark against the Flyers, including an 8-4-3 record on the road. Anaheim has not lost to Philadelphia in regulation since the 2007-08 season, going 11-0-3 in the process. Furthermore, the Ducks have won six consecutive road games against the Flyers dating to Oct. 20, 2009, a franchise first. With that being said, the Ducks dropped the opener of this two-game season series, 3-2 in overtime, back on October 7 at Honda Center.
This concludes a five-game homestand for the Flyers, who have gone 3-1-0 thus far. It began with an 8-2 thumping against the Washington Capitals on October 14 and most recently included a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Their lone loss came in a 1-0 shutout defeat against the Nashville Predators last Thursday.
Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere leads the club in scoring with 11 points (1g/10a) in eight games. His 11 points through eight games is tied for the best offensive start (points-wise) by a Flyers defenseman in franchise history (Mark Howe had two goals and 11 points through eight games in 1985-86).
Flyers captain Claude Giroux enters tonight's game ranked second on the team in goals (5), marking his best start to a season since 2011-12 when he had five tallies through six games. Giroux also paces the club in scoring on the current homestand with seven points (4g/3a) and a plus-4 rating.
