Flyers look to create separation in rematch with Penguins

2 weeks ago  /  Broad Street Hockey  /  Read Time: 2 minutes 58 seconds

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We’re finally starting to get rolling after the break, and the Flyers are back at it again tonight with the next installment of their in-state rivalry series with the Penguins. The last one, before the 4 Nations break, was a good one for the Flyers — coming away with a pretty commanding 3-2 win and kicking off a bit of momentum that they were able to carry through their first game back after the break, as they came away with a huge 6-3 win over the Oilers.



The Penguins, on the flip side, have not seen things going as smoothly for them. They returned from the break and had the Capitals put up eight goals on them in the Saturday matinee, and then the Rangers scored five on them in the Sunday game. So the losing streak has hit five games for the Penguins, and desperation is beginning to set in.



This is a game with some notable standings implications as well — with a win, the Flyers could either tie or move ahead of the Islanders in the standings (depending on how their matchup against the Rangers goes) and put four points between them and the last-place Penguins. But, conversely, if the Penguins can pull off a win here, they’ll jump into a tie for last place in the Metro standings. Maybe it feels overly nitpicky to get granular about these implications for two cellar dwelling teams, but in a rivalry like this, any leg-up found matters.



Storylines To Watch



Ersson again



After a solid start against the Oilers on Saturday, the Flyers are going right back to Ersson for the start again tonight. Things have been clicking nicely for him, of late — he was playing reasonably well before the break, and while he didn’t see much game action during the 4 Nations break, he did take the momentum from a huge performance in his lone start of the tournament and carry that through to Saturday’s strong performance. Ersson will be leaned on heavily down the stretch, and while he hasn’t had the same rest benefit that some of his teammates have, it’s a positive to see that he’s still maintaining a solid form. We’ll see where things go from here, but so far, they’re continuing to trend well.



Can Michkov keep rolling?



Speaking of solid showings against the Oilers, Matvei Michkov came up big for the team in that one. With three points (a goal and two assists) in that one, it’s an encouraging sign of how things might be trending for him on the other side of the break. It’s a long season, particularly for a rookie, and Michkov definitely has looked like he’s been feeling a bit of fatigue at times, but now, with 24 games remaining and a bit of rest in the back pocket, it looks like he’s in a much better position to finish the season out strong. And, what’s more, Michkov’s goal on Saturday pulled him even with Macklin Celebrini for the lead in rookie scoring. Celebrini has since pulled ahead by one again, but the race is close, and any momentum he can build from here will be a boost in that race.



When will the other shoe drop?



We hate to take this in a big negative direction, but with how up and down this season has been so far, the longer we go with things seemingly going well, the more we start to wonder when the rug is going to be pulled out and they start to struggle again. Having the boost of being healthy again is certainly meaningful, but this is another challenge in front of them here, to extend their streak of solid play. The Penguins are going to pose a tough matchup, as their desperation rises, and it would be a big continued momentum swing if the Flyers can pull off another win here.



The Lineups



Philadelphia Flyers



Andrei Kuzmenko – Scott Laughton – Travis KonecnyTyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Orr BrinkOwen Tippett – Ryan Poehling – Matvei MichkovJakub Pelletier – San Couturier – Garnet Hathaway



Cam York – Travis SanheimNick Seeler – Jamie DrysdaleEgor Zamula – Rasmus Ristolainen



Sam Ersson(Ivan Fedotov)



Pittsburgh Penguins



Anthony Beauvillier — Sidney Crosby — Bryan RustDanton Heinen — Evgeni Malkin — Cody GlassMichael Bunting — Kevin Hayes — Philip TomasinoMatthew Nieto — Blake Lizotte — Noel Acciari



Pierre-Olivier Joseph — Kris LetangMatt Grzelcyk — Erik KarlssonRyan Graves — Ryan Shea



Alex Nedeljkovic(Joel Blomqvist)...

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