In their final game before the NHL's Christmas break, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (18-11-3) will be in the Motor City to take on Derek Lalonde's Detroit Red Wings (15-13-4). Game time at Little Caesars Arena is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP+. The radio broadcast is in 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
Friday's game is the second of three meetings this season between the Flyers and Red Wings. The season series will conclude back at Little Caesars Arena on January 25.
Last Saturday (Dec. 16), the Flyers defeated the Red Wings, 1-0, at the Wells Fargo Center behind a 32-save shutout by Samuel Ersson and 20 blocked shots in front of him. A first period goal by Cam York -- an attempted pass intended for Sean Couturier that Detroit's J.T. Compher accidentally deflected into his own net -- stood up for the final 53:39 of the game. Ville Husso stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief of Alex Lyon (15 saves on 16 shots). The former Phantoms/Flyers goalie had to exit the game due to injury in the second period.
The Flyers took a nine-game point streak (7-0-2) into Thursday's home game against the Nashville Predators. Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission and were 2-2 after two periods. However, the Flyers were outplayed in the third period and went on to lose, 4-2. Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier (power play) scored in a losing cause. Ersson stopped 27 of 30 shots.
Here are five things to watch in Friday's game:
1. Establishing a forecheck
After Thursday's loss to Nashville, Tortorella said that his team repeatedly failed to get pucks in deep and create forechecking pressure. According to the coach, Philly players, out of "stubborness", attempted instead to beat multiple defenders off the rush. That was why puck possession was so heavily favored Nashville as the game moved into crunch time in the third period.
Tortorella said that his team is in for a rude awakening in the second half of the season if it primarily tries to live off plays made on the rush and in transition.
"That's when the grind starts," Tortorella said.
For the season, the Flyers have dropped to 15th in team Corsi at 5-on-5 (49.85 percent share) but are still eighth in expected goals share at 5-on-5 (52.74 percent). The downward trend in even strength puck possession, to a degree, reflects some slippage on the forecheck. However, the hold-steady pattern in expected goals shows how the Flyers have been strong off the rush in particular and on counterattacking plays.
In fact, the Flyers' formidable transition game was one of the keys to the team's 7-0-1 record in December, heading into the rematch with Nashville. That aspect had been positively singled out by the head coach a couple days earlier as an area of major improvement, with the Flyers playing much faster as a team. However, with the way Nashville gave the Flyers trouble over the latter half of the game in attacking with speed through the neutral zone, the lack of forechecking pressure became evident.
2. Hart or Petersen in goal?
Carter Hart, who has been dealing for weeks with a recurring illness, backed up Ersson in Thursday's home game against the Predators. It was uncertain earlier in the day as to whether Hart or Cal Petersen would dress as the backup.
On Friday, the Flyers will play their third game in four nights, and the second game of a back-to-back. With Ersson having started five games in a row, the Flyers will likely need to go with either Hart or Petersen in Detroit.
Hart (9-6-1, 2.42 GAA, .919 save percentage, one shutout) last played on Dec. 9 in the Flyers' rousing 5-2 road win over the Colorado Avalanche. In the last five games, a combination of Felix Sandström (twice), Hart (twice) and Petersen (once) have backed up Ersson.
If Hart is not ready to play -- and if the Flyers don't want Ersson to start three times in four nights in a road-home-road gauntlet -- Petersen would get the call. He had an uneven performance in a 5-0 home loss to the LA Kings on Nov. 4 but delivered a solid showing (35 saves on 37 shots) in a return match victory against the Kings on Nov. 11.
3. Finishing the right way
After Friday's game, the Flyers have an extended break on their game schedule. The leaguewide break spans Christmas Eve Day to Boxing Day but the Flyers will have no games from Dec. 23 to 27.
Thereafter, the Flyers will embark on a very difficult western road trip that will begin with a 3-in-4 set against the Canucks in Vancouver (Dec. 28), the Kraken in Seattle (Dec. 29) and the Calgary Flames on New Year's Eve.
Win or lose in Detroit, the Flyers will face a reset on the other side of the Christmas break. Of course, every team is in the same boat in that regard.
Before the Flyers temporarily go their separate ways for Christmas, they have business to attend to in Detroit. Thursday's game was a rather disjointed performance and the Flyers must put it behind them immediately to dig deep for focused energy in the final game of the three-in-four.
On an individual basis, players would like to make a strong final showing before the break. Psychologically speaking, perhaps no one could use a goal right now more than Cam Atkinson. The veteran winger (8g, 8a in 32 games) had a golden opportunity against Nashville to put the Flyers ahead in the third period. He enters Friday's game goalless in his last 17 games (0g, 4a).
Rookie winger Tyson Foerster is another Flyer who could use a reward on the score sheet in the last game before the break. On Thursday, Tyson Foerster attempted four shots but missed the net on all four. Three caromed off end boards and rimmed out of the offensive zone.
Foerster (5g, 7a, 12 points) has continued to play very well along the boards and backchecked diligently but he has just one point (0g, 1a) over the last five games, two points in the last seven games (0g, 2a), and is eight games removed from his last goal. He put together a streak of scoring goals in three straight games (4g, 1a) from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, but he's gone back lately to having issues converting scoring chances.
4. Flyers special teams vs. Detroit special teams
On Thursday against Nashville, the Flyers went 1-for-4 on the power play but gave up a Cole Smith shorthanded goal. Later, Philly was unable to capitalize on a five-minute power play opportunity. The power play goal, scored by Couturier, broke an 0-for-17 drought for the Flyers.
For the season, the Flyers rank 31st in the NHL with a 10.8 percent success rate (11-for-102). In several recent games, they'd played with fire in allowing opponents odd-man rushes or breakaways shorthanded. Philly finally got burned on Thursday. The Flyers have now allowed two shorthanded goals this season.
The Red Wings will enter Friday ranked 20th in the NHL on the penalty kill at 78.5 percent. Opposing power plays are 25-for-116. Detroit has scored four shorthanded goals this season: one apiece by Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer.
The Flyers went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against the Predators on Thursday, including a successful 5-on-3 kill for 30 seconds. For the season, Philadelphia ranks fourth in the NHL on the PK at 86.3 percent. Opponents are 14-for-102 on the power play against the Flyers. Philadelphia has scored seven shorthanded goals to date this season: three by Konecny, two by defenseman Sean Walker and one apiece by Ryan Poehling and Scott Laughton. Laughton came close to his second shorthander of the season in Thursday's game.
The Detroit power play checks into Friday's game ranked 14th in the NHL at 21.8 percent success (29-for-133, leading the NHL in the most power play opportunities). The Red Wings have yielded five shorthanded goals, with four of them coming in December. Overall for the month, the Wings are 7-for-39 on the man advantage.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have lost four games in a row in regulation and have just one win in their last eight matches (1-6-1). Over the last 10 games, Detroit is 3-6-1. For the season, the Red Wings are 8-6-3 on home ice.
Detroit enters this game coming off a 5-2 road loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday's evening. Patrick Kane had a goal (2nd) and an assist in a losing cause for the Red Wings. Veteran defenseman Olli Määttä had the other tally for Detroit. In goal, James Reimer was peppered with 41 shots. He stopped 46 while five got past him.
Since the last time the Flyers played the Red Wing, Detroit has welcomed their most important player -- speedy center Dylan Larkin -- back to the lineup. Larkin recorded one assist apiece against Anaheim and the Jets in his two games since coming back from being briefly knocked unconscious by Otttawa's Mathieu Joseph on Dec. 9.
For the season, Larkin (11g, 16a in 26 games played) is one point behind Alex DeBrincat (15g, 13a in 32 games) for the team scoring lead. Young left winger Lucas Raymond (10g, 14a) is third on the Red Wings in total points. Ex-Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere leads the blueline with 23 points (5g, 18a).
Husso (lower-body injury) was injured in Monday's home game against the Anaheim Ducks. He has since been placed on injured reserve. Lyon, injured last Saturday against the Flyers, will not be available for Friday's game. He could return after the break. As a result, the Red Wings signed veteran goalie Michael Hutchinson to a one-year, two-way contract to back up Reimer (2-5-2, 2.87 GAA, .903 save percentage).
Veteran forward David Perron (7g, 6a in 26 games played) has finished serving a six-game NHL suspension for cross-checking Ottawa's Artem Zub to the head in the immediate aftermath of the Mathieu-Larkin incident. He's eligible to return on Friday against the Flyers.
