Game Preview
The Arizona Coyotes’ brief road trip ends tonight with a visit to Philadelphia to face the Flyers. The Coyotes desperately need two points tonight, but they will have their hands full against a surprisingly resilient Flyers team.
The Coyotes got a point against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, which usually would be a good thing. But this late in the season with the standings this tight, the Coyotes can not afford to be giving up points to a division rival also in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.
The Coyotes played a close game against the Predators but were ultimately doomed by a familiar problem: too many penalties. The second period was a mess, with the penalties preventing the Desert Dogs from capitalizing on some choice opportunities, and then things got worse in the third period.
Arizona only took one penalty in the third, but it cost them dearly. Immediately after the Coyotes went up 4-2, Nick Bjugstad was sent to the box for hooking, and the Predators’ comeback started with a power play goal. The Coyotes desperately need to find a way to stay disciplined tonight, even if the Flyers don’t have a great power play.
The Flyers are not an offensive-heavy team this season despite the fact they will easily finish with at least three 20-goal scorers. They are 26th in goals scored when accounting for games played, and they have one of the worst power plays in the NHL. You would not think they are third in the Metro division with a six-point lead over the fourth-placed New York Islanders.
But defensively, the Flyers are solid. They have given up the tenth fewest goals when accounting for games played, which is respectable, and they have the second-best penalty kill in the league. This is not exactly a surprise from a John Tortorella team.
You may expect the Flyers to be getting excellent goaltending, but not really. The 24-year-old Samuel Ersson has a 2.47 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, which is good but not great. Before he left, Carter Hart had a 2.80 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
Discussing the Flyers’ goaltending brings us to the elephant in the room. The Flyers went into this season thinking that they could ride the back of Hart, who played 55 games last season. But Hart is currently out indefinitely after being charged with sexual assault as part of the 2018 Canadian World Juniors investigation. As such, the Flyers have to rely on a relatively untested goaltender down the final stretch.
The Coyotes need to find a way to test Ersson every chance they get tonight. The Flyers do not give up a lot of shots, but they need to find a way to generate offense and pepper the Flyers’ net. If the Coyotes want to stay in the hunt for a Wild Card spot, they need two points.
Players to Watch
Arizona: Dylan Guenther – Guenther had a goal and an assist against the Predators and comes into tonight’s game with a solid nine points in 13 games. Guenther was with the Roadrunners the last time the Coyotes played the Predators, making him a wildcard tonight.
Philadelphia: Travis Konecny – Konecny leads the Flyers with 24 goals and 46 points and comes into tonight’s game riding a three-game point streak. He had two goals against the Coyotes when these teams met in December.
Injuries
Arizona: Travis Boyd (pectoral), Troy Stecher (lower body)
Philadelphia: Ryan Ellis (pelvis)
Puck Drop
Tonight’s game will be in Flyers and will start at 5:00 p.m. Arizona time. It will air on Scripps.