The Detroit Red Wings are coming off a loss on Thursday to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 at Little Caesar’s Arena. The Flyers are also coming in off a big shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
Detroit Red Wings (15-10-4, 34 Points) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (16-10-3, 35 Points)
When: Saturday, December 16
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA)
TV: Bally Sports Detroit
Scoring Leaders
Detroit Red Wings
Points: Alex DeBrincat – 26
Goals: Alex DeBrincat – 13
Assists: Shayne Gostisbehere – 16
Philadelphia Flyers
Points: Travis Konecny – 24
Goals: Travis Konecny – 16
Assists: Travis Sanheim – 17
Expected Line Combinations
Detroit Red Wings
Michael Rasmussen- J.T. Compher – Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Joe Veleno – Lucas Raymond
Robby Fabbri – Andrew Copp – Daniel Sprong
Klim Kostin – Austin Czarnik – Christian Fischer
Jake Walman – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Olli Maatta – Shayne Gostisbehere
Philadelphia Flyers
Tyson Foerster – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee – Scott Laughton – Cam Atkinson
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Bobby Brink
Nicolas Deslauriers – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Sean Walker
Marc Staal – Rasmus Ristolainen
By The Numbers:
League Ranking
Detroit Red Wings
PP%: 22.3 (13)
PK%: 78.2 (21)
GF P/G: 3.69 (2)
GA P/G: 3.24 (18)
Faceoff %: 48.4 (22)
Philadelphia Flyers
PP%: 10.9 (29)
PK%: 86.0 (5)
GF P/G: 2.97 (22)
GA P/G: 2.72 (8)
Faceoff %: 47.2 (26)
Red Wings Player to Watch: Robby Fabbri
Fabbri, this season in 17 games, has 15 points on nine goals and six assists. He has four points on the power play on two goals and two assists. He currently ranks fourth on the team in goals despite missing 12 games this season. He has four points on a goal and three assists in his last five games.
Fabbri’s Line Assignments
Fabbri will play on the third line tonight with Andrew Copp and Daniel Sprong. He will also play on the second power-play unit with Sprong, Joe Veleno, Jake Walman, and Moritz Seider.
Fabbri’s career vs. Philadelphia
Fabbri has played in ten games against the Flyers in his career, with ten points on seven goals and three assists.
Between The Pipes
Detroit: Alex Lyon (4-2-0, 2.13 GAA)
Lyon’s last start came a week ago against Ottawa, as he was pulled after two periods after he allowed four goals on 25 shots. In his six games, Lyon posts a .931 save percentage, which ranks him sixth in that category, and his 2.13 GAA ranks fifth in the league. Against the team, he started his career with 0-1-0, allowing five goals on 23 shots.
Philadelphia: Samuel Ersson (6-3-2, 2.80 GAA)
Ersson’s last start came on Thursday in the Flyers shootout win over the Capitals, in which he stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced. He has never faced the Red Wings in his career.
Wrap Up:
This matchup will be between two teams who have exceeded expectations through 29 games. The Red Wings were expected to be towards the bottom of the Atlantic, but heading into this matchup, they currently hold a Wild Card spot. In contrast, the Flyers were expected to be one of the worst teams in all of hockey but now sit in third place in the Metropolitan division. The Red Wings badly need a win as well, having lost four of their last five, and are in danger of falling out of a playoff spot with four teams currently three points or less right behind them.
In their last ten games against Philadelphia, the Red Wings are 3-6-1, and they’ve been outscored 34-25 in those games. The Red Wings last season went 0-3-0 against the Flyers and were outscored 8-2.
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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