GAMEDAY PREVIEW Game 33: Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers & Projected Line Combos

The Detroit Red Wings are coming off a loss to the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Wednesday night. The Flyers are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators last night.

Detroit Red Wings (15-13-4, 34 Points) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (18-11-3, 39 Points)

When: Friday, December 22
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesar’s Arena (Detroit, MI)
TV: Bally Sports Detroit

Scoring Leaders

Detroit Red Wings

Points: Alex DeBrincat – 28
Goals: Alex DeBrincat – 15
Assists: Shayne Gostisbehere – 18

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: Travis Konecny – 26
Goals: Travis Konecny – 16
Assists: Travis Sanheim – 18

Expected Line Combinations

Detroit Red Wings

Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Larkin – Patrick Kane
J.T. Compher – Joe Veleno – Lucas Raymond
Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp – David Perron
Robby Fabbri – Christian Fischer – Daniel Sprong

Shayne Gostisbehere – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Justin Holl – Olli Maatta

Philadelphia Flyers

Tyson Foerster – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Bobby Brink
Joel Farabee – Ryan Poehling – Cam Atkinson
Nicolas Deslauriers – Scott Laughton – Garnet Hathaway

Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Sean Walker
Marc Staal – Rasmus Ristolainen

By The Numbers:

League Ranking

Detroit Red Wings

PP%: 21.8 (14)
PK%: 78.4 (20)
GF P/G: 3.50 (5)
GA P/G: 3.25 (20)
Faceoff %: 48.7 (23)

Philadelphia Flyers

PP%: 10.8 (31)
PK%: 86.3 (4)
GF P/G: 2.88 (23)
GA P/G: 2.66 (6)
Faceoff %: 46.8 (29)

Red Wings Player to Watch: David Perron

Perron will return tonight from his six-game suspension. This season, he has played in 26 games and has 13 points on seven goals and six assists. He has seven points on the power play, four goals, and three assists. He had two points in his last five games before the suspension, both coming on assists.

Perron’s Line Assignments

Raymond will play on the second line tonight with Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen. He will also play on the second power-play unit with Lucas Raymond, Robby Fabbri, Daniel Sprong, and Moritz Seider.

Perron’s career vs. Philadelphia

Perron has played in 21 games against the Flyers and has recorded 12 points on six goals and six assists. He missed the last matchup due to his suspension.

Between The Pipes

Detroit: James Reimer (2-5-2, 2.87 GAA)

Reimer last played on Thursday against Winnipeg and took the loss, allowing five goals on 41 shots. In his career against the Flyers, he has been 8-4-3 in 16 games, allowing 32 goals on 415 shots.

Philadelphia: Carter Hart (9-6-1, 2.42 GAA)

Hart’s last start came on Saturday against the Avalanche, in which he picked up the win, which was his third straight, allowing two goals on 38 shots. In his career against Detroit, he is 7-3-0 in ten games and allowed 23 goals on 302 shots.

Wrap Up:

The Detroit Red Wings will have a tough back-to-back coming up, starting with the Flyers tonight, who the Red Wings played well last Saturday, but the offense couldn’t find the back of the net. The Red Wings, over their previous eight games, are 1-6-1 over that stretch and have been outscored 33-21 in those games. Tonight, with the return of David Perron, look for that to change; his presence in the lineup has a different feel for this team.

In their last ten games against Philadelphia, the Red Wings are 3-7-0, and they’ve been outscored 29-20 in those games. The Red Wings this season are 0-1-0 against the Flyers, losing to them just six days ago 1-0.

ITR 34: End Of The Road – Inside The Rink

 Join Conrad and Chris as they discuss the Boston Bruins front office, Logan Couture's retirement, Edmonton Oilers Injuries leading into the playoffs, and playoff matchups! 

1. ITR 34: End Of The Road 41:46
2. ITR 33: The Gr8 One 44:20
3. ITR 32: The Final Countdown 45:55
4. ITR 31: Let Them Fight 01:03:52
5. ITR 30: Down The Stretch 59:42