For the Ed Snider Legacy Game, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (19-13-6) will take on Ryan Huska's Calgary Flames (17-6-5) at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon. Game time is 1:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
Saturday's game is the second and final meeting of the season series between the two teams. On New Year's Eve in Calgary, what was a goaltenders' duel for two periods turned into a goal-a-thon in the third period in which the Flames scored three times and the Flyers tallied twice at 6-on-5. The Flames won, 4-3.
The Flyers enter Friday's game winless in their last four games: a 2-1 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, regulation losses to Calgary and the Edmonton Oilers, and a home 3-2 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Dating back to their New Year's Eve win over the Flyers, the Flames have won three games in a row. Thus far in January, the Flames have earned 3-1 and 6-3 road wins over the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators.
Here are five things to watch in Saturday's matinee in Philadelphia:
1. Flyers Top Line on a Roll
The Flyers top line trio of Joel Farabee and NHL All-Star Game selection Travis Konecny flanking center Sean Couturier has been on a roll since Farabee was moved up in the lineup. They remained hot with a dominant performance on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Konecny scored twice (19th and 20th goals of the season), with Farabee and Couturier assisting on both tallies. Even apart from the two goals, the trio frequently hemmed the Blue Jackets in their defensive zone. Overall, the line combined for 13 shots on goal and 18 shot attempts.
During stretches of Tuesday's game, the Flyers had the Couturier line out on the ice on nearly an every-other-shift basis. By the end of the night, Konecny logged 26:18 of all-situation ice time. Couturier skated 23:36. Farabee, who does not currently play on the penalty kill, played 20:29.
Over his last five games, Konecny has racked up eight points (4g, 4a). Farabee has seven points (1g, 6a). Couturier has posted three assists in the Flyers' last two games.
2. Flyers Need Other Lines to Step Up, Too
While the Flyers' top line is getting the job done, the rest of the forward lineup needs to provide better supporting offense than it has of late. Cam Atkinson and Morgan Frost were both healthy scratches on Thursday. Both players will return to the lineup on Saturday, per Tortorella.
Atkinson (who last scored a goal on Nov. 11) and Frost (five goals, 11 points in 27 games played this season) may have been the players Tortorella and the coaching staff elected to remove from the lineup for one game. However, they were not the only candidates whose play has not been up to par of late.
Rookie winger Tyson Foerster (5g, 9a, 14 points in 37 games played) last scored a goal on December 4. Ever since a mini-run of four goals and six points in a four-game stretch in late November to early December, Foerster has posted just four points (0g, 4a) over the last 14 games and one point in the last five games.
Bobby Brink, who drew criticism from the head coach during the road trip for his struggles in his checking game, skated only 11 shifts at 5-on-5 during Thursday's game against Columbus. However, he had three power play shifts in regulation and a 3-on-3 shift in overtime. Offensively, since the Christmas break, Brink has posted two points (1g, 1a) in five games.
Owen Tippett racked up seven shots on goal and 13 shot attempts last game, but wasn’t able to find the back of the net. Overall, Tippett has one point (0g, 1a) in his last five games.
Ryan Poehling's overall game has remained solid through the Flyers' recent struggles. He's used his speed and size well, along with defending capably. However, his usage in recent weeks has constantly been within the top nine -- and sometimes top six -- of the lineup. This increases the offensive production demands on a player, too. Poehling has two points (0g, 2a) in his last seven games and has just two goals (both against the Devils on Dec.19) in the Flyers' last 19 games.
Scott Laughton, who took a maintenance day on Friday but is expected to play against the Flames, has one point (0g, 1a) in the last five games.
On Thursday against Columbus, the Flyers dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen. However, rugged veteran winger Nick Deslauriers (a healthy scratch in Edmonton, nine shifts and 7:10 of ice time) and call-up center Rhett Gardner (10 shifts and 7:28 TOI in his Flyers' debut) scarcely played at all and Brink was bypassed on several shift rotations when play was at 5-on-5.
Bottom line: It's not one or two forwards beyond the Couturier line whom the Flyers need to chip in more offense. It's pretty much everyone other than Konecny, Farabee and Couturier.
3. Flyers power play vs. Calgary PK
The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play against Columbus, including a full two minutes of 5-on-3 time. They generated some looks and a healthy volume of shots on goal and shot attempts but no true Grade A scoring chances.
The Flyers enter Saturday ranked last in the NHL on the power play at 9.8 percent (12-for-122). They've allowed two shorthanded goals.
The Flames' penalty kill has been very strong all season. The team checks in ranked fifth in the NHL with a penalty killing percentage of 84.8 percent success. Opposing power plays are 18-for-118.
Calgary shares the NHL lead for shorthanded goals (nine) with the Flyers and St. Louis Blues. The Flames have gotten four shorthanded goals from Blake Coleman, two from Yegor Sharangovich, and one apiece from Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, and Rasmus Andersson.
4. Flyers PK vs. Calgary power play
The Flyers penalty kill under the direction of assistant coach Brad Shaw, has been stellar all season with very few hiccups along the way. Philly enters Saturday's game with the No. 2 ranked PK in the NHL at 86.0 percent. Opponents are 17-for-121 to date.
Philly went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against Columbus on Thursday. The Flyers also had a couple near-miss chances to add to their nine shorthanded tallies on the season. Konecny leads the Flyers with four SHGs, followed by two from defenseman Sean Walker and one apiece from Laughton, Poehling, and Garnet Hathaway.
Calgary's power play ranks 30th in the NHL this season at 12.4 percent (15-for-121). The Flames have been burned on four opposing shorthanded goals.
5. Behing Enemy Lines: Calgary Flames
In Thursday's win over the Predators, the Flames got goals from six different players: Connor Zary, Coleman, Nazem Kadri, Andersson, Noah Hanifin and Sharangovich lighting the lamp.
Banckup goalie Dan Vladar was tabbed in Nashville for his first start since Dec. 16. He earned the win with a 30-save performance. Jacob Markström has made 22 starts this season, posting a 10-10-2 record, 2.65 GAA, .907 save percentage and one shutout.
Coleman leads the Flames this season with 29 points (15g, 14a) and a traditional plus-17. He's followed by Kadri's 27 points (11g, 16a) and Sharangovich's 25 points (13g, 12a). Elias Lindholm (8g, 17a) has also posted 25 points to date.
