Returning from a four-game road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on Monday. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena and will be televised on NBCSP.
The Flyers, led by coach Rick Tocchet, have a record of 14-7-3 this season. They recently concluded their road trip with three wins out of four games, including a 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. In that match, Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov each scored twice, while Trevor Zegras added another goal. Goaltender Dan Vladar made 28 saves to help secure the win.
So far this season, the Flyers have performed well at home with an 8-3-2 record. Over their last 11 games, they have earned points in nine contests (7-2-2) and finished November with an overall record of 8-4-2.
The Penguins come into Monday’s game with a record of 12-7-5 and are coached by Dane Muse. On the road this season, Pittsburgh holds a 6-3-3 record but struggled in November, going 4-5-3. In their most recent outing, they lost 7-2 at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs after allowing three unanswered goals in the second period. Ben Kindel and Sidney Crosby scored for Pittsburgh in that loss, while goaltenders Arturs Silovs and Tristan Jarry split time in net.
This meeting marks the second of four games between these rivals this season. The previous encounter on October 28 saw the Flyers win 3-2 in a shootout.
Several storylines are notable ahead of Monday’s matchup:
“Things got feisty the last time the Flyers played the Penguins, as they so often have over the years. An end-of-overtime dust-up resulted in multiple players being disqualified from the shootout including Philadelphia shootout ace Zegras and Pittsburgh’s Crosby. There was also a combined eight power plays in that game.”
The team will look to balance emotion and discipline upon returning home after playing four road games in six nights.
Two-time defending Bobby Clarke Trophy winner Travis Konecny is highlighted as a key player for Philadelphia: “However, he’s coming off a strong game in the win over New Jersey this past Saturday. The Flyers need Konecny to be a positive tone setter against the Penguins, too.”
Noah Cates is expected to match up against top offensive lines: “Noah Cates often draws the task of playing against an opponent’s top offensive line, whether it’s Crosby and the Penguins or Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers.” How coach Tocchet manages line matchups—particularly involving Sean Couturier and Christian Dvorak—will be watched closely.
Goals scored early or late in periods may influence momentum during this rivalry contest: “Goals in the first or last minutes of a period have a way of carrying over into subsequent team-wide play… Game management is always crucial, but especially so in a rivalry clash such as a Flyers/Penguins game.”
The Flyers currently maintain positive trends both at home and over recent weeks as they prepare to host their cross-state rivals.
