In the rematch of a home-and-home set, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (12-10-2) will host Mike Sullivan's Pittsburgh Penguins (11-10-2) on Monday evening. Game time at Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP with Jim Jackson and Brian Boucher on the call. The radio broadcast , with Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk on the call, is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
On Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, the Flyers earned a 4-3 (1-0) shootout victory. Owen Tippett (8th), Scott Laughton (SHG, 2nd) and Tyson Foerster (PPG, 4th) scored in regulation as the Flyers came back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to temporarily take a 3-2 lead in the third period.
Sean Couturier tallied the lone shootout goal for either team. Winning goal Samuel Ersson stopped 29 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime before stopping all three shots he saw in the shootout.
For Pittsburgh, Jake Guentzel scored two goals (8th and 9th), including a goal in the final minute of regulation to force overtime. Kris Letang (2nd) scored the game's first goal, breaking a scoreless deadlock at 14:31 of the second period. Tristan Jarry stopped 31 of 34 shots in regulation and overtime before going 2-for-3 in the shootout.
The deciding factors in the game for the Flyers, apart from winning the shootout, were Philly's special teams. The Flyers went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and Laughton scored shorthanded to tie the game at 2-2. Philadelphia was 1-for-4 on the power play, with Tyson Foerster scoring at 13:52 of the third period to put the Flyers ahead, 3-2.
Here are five things to watch in Monday's clash:
1. Foerster vs. Guentzel
Rookie Flyers forward Foerster endured a goal drought through the first quarter of the 2023-24 season, although his all-around game and board work were very strong. Over the past week, the goals have finally started to come.
In his last three games, Foerster has collected three goals and two assists for four points. The two helpers were via lead passes to Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett for breakaway tallies.
On Saturday, Foerster had a first-period power play scoring chance from the top of the left circle. The puck was teed up for him (cross-ice by Morgan Frost) and Foerster came close but wasn't able to beat Tristan Jarry. Later, in a third period power play, Foerster had another chance set up for him (this time by Cam York) and his shot from the left flank hit the bullseye for a go-ahead goal.
In the meantime, one would be hard pressed to find a player in the NHL who is producing on a more consistent basis than Pittsburgh's Guentzel.
Guentzel will bring a five-game point streak (3g, 3a) into Monday's game. He has posted at least one point in 13 of his last 14 games (7g, 11a) and at least one point in 15 of his last 17 (8g, 13a). He hasn't gone back-to-back games without a point since Oct. 18 and 21. He has yet to go three straight without a point this season.
2. Sanheim and Atkinson
Overall, Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim has played very well over the first two months of the season. He's become Philly's single most important defenseman this season.
Sanheim has been very involved in the play in all three zones, is among the NHL's leaders in ice time (25:57 average per game), leads all Flyers players with 14 assists and is tied with Sean Couturier for second on the team in overall points with 16.
However, of late, there have been some trends that need to be corrected.
Traditional plus-minus can be a deceptive stat that is more reflective of team play (and every bit as indicative of offensive ebbs and flows) that individual work. Nevertheless, the fact that Sanheim is minus-11 over the last five games (minus-nine in the last three) may contribute to why the Flyers are 2-2-1 going back to Black Friday with both wins coming beyond regulation.
There are some specific issues, such as zone clearing opportunities and getting back in time if he's initially caught up ice, that Sanheim can improve upon from recent games. It's not all negative. On Saturday in Pittsburgh, for example, Sanheim blocked seven shots. In Thursday's game against the Devils, Sanheim generated five shots on goal.
Up front, the Flyers still need to get a wider variety of players scoring again on a regular basis. On Saturday, Tippett's breakaway goal broke a mini-slump in which he posted one point (0g, 1a) in his previous six games. Frost has one point (1g, 0a) in four games since getting back in the lineup. Laughton's shorthanded goal ended a nine-game goal drought. Travis Konecny (team-leading 12 goals and 17 points) has been held without a point in four of the last games. Bobby Brink has one point (0g, 1a) in his last four games.
As such, it's not not one player or one line that's having issues capitalizing with regularity. It's a team-wide concern. Veteran winger Cam Atkinson is hardly alone.
It should be said, though, that after the initial burst of adrenaline that helped him get off to a hot goal-scoring start (eight goals, four assists through the season's first 15 games), the going has been tough the last few weeks. Atkinson has not scored a goal in the last nine games and has two assists in that span. There have been bursts where it looks like vintage Atkinson but also stretches where he's scuffled.
A breakout game from Atkinson on Monday would go a long way toward helping the Flyers secure a sweep of the home-and-home.
3. Flyers power play vs. Penguins PK
Over the last two games, the Flyers have scored a combined three power play goals. With Foerster starting to emerge as a threat from the left flank, York getting an opportunity to run the point and the playmaking Frost on the right half boards, there are some promising elements to the unit that has also been featuring Couturier and Konecny.
Overall this season, the Flyers rank 28th on the power play at 12.4 percent (10-for-81). They've had two-game mini-surges before, only to fall back into lengthy droughts. The club hopes they can build off the last couple games. The Flyers have allowed one shorthanded goal to date.
As with the Flyers, though, the Penguins have been a strong penalty killing team overall this season. They rank 8th (one spot behind the Flyers) at 84.7 percent PK success. Opposing power plays are 11-for-72. Lars Eller owns the Penguins' lone shorthanded goal to date this season (scored against Los Angeles on Nov. 9).
4. Flyers PK vs. Penguins power play
The Flyers stout penalty killing on Saturday, especially the third period PK that ended with Laughton's shorthanded marker and the overtime 4-on-3 kill, was a lifesafer for Philly. One game earlier, the Flyers limited the NHL's top-ranked power play team (New Jersey) to a single goal in four opportunities.
Overall, the Flyers rank 7th on the PK this year at 84.8 percent. Opposing power plays are 12-for-79 against Philadelphia. Laughton's shorthanded goal on Saturday was the Flyers' sixth of the season (tied with four other clubs for the most in the NHL). In addition to Laughton, the Flyers have received one shorthanded goal from Ryan Poehling and two apiece from Konecny and Sean Walker.
The Penguins' power play has been a struggle this season. Pittsburgh enters this game ranked 30th in the NHL at 10.9 percent (7-for-64). The team has yielded four shorthanded goals to date.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have a better record this far on the road (6-4-1) than they have on home ice (5-6-1). The club is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games.
On Saturday, the Penguins generated very little offense in the first and second periods. The club mustered just 11 shots on goal (22 shot attempts) through 40 minutes. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins did not have a single high-danger chance -- across all game situations -- through two periods. They had 11 moderate-danger chances.
The tide turned in the third period and overtime, though. Over the final 25 minutes of play, the Penguins blitzed the Flyers for 21 shots on goal, 46 shot attempts, 25 scoring chances with seven of the high-danger variety.
The Flyers were their own worst enemies at times in terms of defensive zone puck management. The Letang goal came about after two failed clears by Sanheim and then a blocked shot that accidentally turned into a deflection. Guentzel's game-tying second goal late in the third period started with Tippett trying and failing to skate the puck out of the defensive zone. When the puck was lost, the Flyers didn't get it back.
Sidney Crosby was held unusually quiet through the first 40 minutes of Saturday's game. However, he stepped up in the third period and overtime and it was a combination of good goaltending and bad luck that he didn't end up on the scoresheet. Crosby's next point against the Flyers will give him more points than any opposing player in Philadelphia's franchise history.
