Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers will host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with the game scheduled for 12:30 p.m. EST and broadcast on NBCSP. This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with a rematch set in Los Angeles on March 19.
The Flyers come into the game after a challenging stretch, recording only two wins in their last twelve games (2-8-2). On Thursday, they lost 6-3 to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Travis Konecny scored his 21st goal of the season, Nikita Grebenkin added his fourth, and Matvei Michkov scored his thirteenth goal on a power play.
The Kings are currently on their fourth game of a five-game road trip and have won two out of three so far. They lost their most recent game 4-1 against the Buffalo Sabres, who were led by former Flyers goalie Alex Lyon.
Saturday’s matchup marks a busy period for both teams. The Kings will be playing the second match in a sequence of three games in four days and will face Carolina Hurricanes next. The Flyers are also in a demanding schedule, playing their third game in less than four nights after returning from a western road trip where they collected five out of six possible points but have since dropped three consecutive games in regulation.
One area of concern for the Flyers has been an increase in weak side goals allowed during January. “Sometimes it’s been structural breakdowns. Other times, it’s been makeable defensive kills that turn into puck watching. A couple have been unfavorable bounces that end up as back post tap-ins. Whatever the specifics, this problem must be addressed for the Flyers to start to bring their team goals against average back down toward respectability,” according to team commentary.
Rookie winger Nikita Grebenkin has recently moved up in the lineup and contributed positively during Thursday’s game against Boston. “Apart from the hustling goal he scored, Grebenkin was around the puck all night. He also brought some physicality,” noted observers.
Goaltending remains another focal point for Philadelphia. Dan Vladar returned from injury and performed well despite Wednesday’s loss to Columbus and provided solid relief on Thursday when Samuel Ersson exited due to injury. “On Saturday, the Flyers need to provide their goaltender with a chance to give the team itself a chance to win.”
Additionally, Trevor Zegras was tried at center by Coach Tocchet during Thursday’s contest as part of efforts to spark offensive production amid struggles both for Zegras and for new line combinations overall.
Both teams are looking to rebound as they continue through challenging stretches in their schedules.
