Penguins at Flyers Preview: Thanksgiving Throwdown
The red-hot Pens face their cross-state rivals in the NHL’s holiday showcase game.
There is plenty to be thankful for in Penguins land today! The team is on its longest win streak of the season with four straight victories. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are playing some of the best hockey of their careers. And the team has quietly put together a 6-1-1 run in their last eight games.
On the opposite end of the state, things aren't as rosy. The Flyers are on an eight-game losing skid. Eight roster regulars or star players are sidelined with injuries including Travis Konecny, Cam Atkinson, and Sean Couturier. New head coach John Tortorella leads a volatile atmosphere as is and all this adversity is making Philadelphia a desperate team.
Today's post-Turkey Day clash could get a little rough. The Penguins will have to keep their cool and focus on their game, staying above the fray.
This entry in the "Battle of PA" will have a national showcase being broadcast on TNT starting at 5:30 PM (ET).
Game Info:
Pens Game #21: Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
Date: November 25, 2022
Time: 5:30 PM (ET)
Place: Philadelphia, PA
Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcasts: Local/National- TNT
Social Media Hashtags #: #LetsGoPens #FueledByPhilly
Team Matchup:
Records- PIT: 10-7-3, PHI: 7-8-5
Last 10- PIT: 6-3-1, PHI: 2-5-3
Standings- PIT: 15th, PHI: 24th
Points- PIT: 23, PHI: 19
Streaks- PIT: 4 wins, PHI: 8 losses
‘21/22 Season Series- 3-1 PIT
‘21/22 Series Goals For- PIT: 15, PHI: 12
Team Analytics Comparison:
Goalie Matchup:
Projected Starting Goalies-
-TRISTAN JARRY- #35
[Pittsburgh Penguins]
Bio Info: 6' 2", 194 lbs. DOB: 4/29/1995 (27). From: Surrey, BC.
Drafted: 2013- Rd 2, Pk 44 (PIT). Experience: 7th Season.
Record: 7-3-2, 3.06 GAA, .910 SV%
Career vs. PHI: 9-4-1, 3.01 GAA, .898 SV%
🆚
-CARTER HART- #1
[Philadelphia Flyers]
Bio Info: 6' 2", 181 lbs. DOB: 8/13/1998 (24). From: Sherwood Park, AB.
Drafted: 2016- Rd 2, Pk 48 (PHI). Experience: 5th Season.
Record: 6-4-4, 2.68 GAA, .920 SV%
Career vs. PIT: 4-3-2, 3.18 GAA, .902 SV%
Penguins Update:
The Penguins have killed 12 straight penalties, a huge PK turnaround from earlier in the year. They've only allowed one powerplay goal in their last 18 penalty kills overall.
Sidney Crosby is currently tied with Mario Lemieux for the lead in most goals against the Flyers in NHL history (51). Scoring tonight would put him in sole possession of #1 in that record.
The Pens and Flyers don't meet again until spring after tonight, their next game is March 11th in Pittsburgh. They'll only be playing three times this season, unlike the customary four games.
-Injury Report-
(None)
-Pens Lines-
The projected Penguins lines for Friday, November 25, 2022, at the Philadelphia Flyers:
(Forwards)
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn - Jeff Carter - Danton Heinen
Ryan Poehling - Teddy Blueger - Josh Archibald
(Defense)
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - Jeff Petry
Chad Ruhwedel - Jan Rutta
(Special Teams)
PP1: Crosby, Guentzel, Malkin, Petry, Letang
PP2: Carter, Rust, Zucker, Rakell, Joseph
PK1: Blueger, McGinn, Dumoulin, Rutta
PK2: Poehling, Archibald, Pettersson, Ruhwedel
Flyers Update:
The Flyers have been devastated by injury this season. Almost every major star talent they have is sidelined except for Joel Farabee and Kevin Hayes. And their record shows just how much it's hurting them. They've only managed two wins in their last 10 games.
Philadelphia may be low on high-skill talents but they certainly have invested in…alternatives. Their roster features a myriad of the Flyers' typical bruising players in heavy volume: Nic Deslauriers, Zack MacEwen, Scott Laughton, and Rasmus Ristolainen. Predictably, Philly is leading the league in fights with 13 on the year thus far.
Carter Hart has been the only highlight of the year in Philadelphia. Despite working with the lackluster team in front of him that he is, he's been strong and will have to do the majority of the heavy lifting for the Flyers to win today. Hart is 6-4-4 this year with a decent 2.68 goals against average. A respectable GAA considering just how bad his team has been.
-Offseason Update-
Key players added: Forward- Nicolas Deslauriers. Defensemen- Tony DeAngelo, Justin Braun.
Key players lost: Goalie- Martin Jones.
Added in-season: Forwards- Kieffer Bellows, Lukas Sedlak.
-Injury Report-
-Cam Atkinson (F): upper-body, out until at least 11/29.
-Scott Laughton (F): IR, upper-body, out until at least 12/5.
-Travis Konecny (F): upper-body, out until at least 12/3.
-Bobby Brink (G): IR, hip, out until at least 12/15.
-Wade Allison (F): IR, oblique, out until at least 12/7.
-James van Riemsdyk (F): IR, finger, out until at least 12/11.
-Sean Couturier (F): IR, back, out until at least 2/6.
-Ryan Ellis (D): LTIR, back, out for the season.
For The Penguins: Evgeni Malkin. Fresh off of his 1,000th NHL game and the game-winning shootout goal against the Flames, Geno is without a doubt the Penguin to watch right now. Malkin has points in seven of the last eight games, the shootout winner on Tuesday, and has only failed to score in regulation during four total games this year.
For The Flyers: Kevin Hayes. Hayes has seven points in the last seven games played, including three goals. He's one of the few Flyers on any kind of a point streak, as they’re mired in a losing slump of eight games amid their injury epidemic.
