Philly Leader

The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face the Dallas Stars in the third match of their five-game road trip. The game will take place at the American Airlines Center, with a start time of 2:00 p.m. EDT. Fans can catch the action on NBCSP or listen to the radio broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic, with an online simulcast available on Flyers Radio 24/7.

This marks the second and final meeting between these two teams this season, with Dallas having won their previous encounter 4-1 at Wells Fargo Center in January. In that game, Mavrik Bourque and Roope Hintz scored early for Dallas, while Wyatt Johnston and Miro Heiskanen added to the tally later on.

The Flyers have been struggling recently, posting a record of 1-8-0 over their last nine games and losing both games so far on this road trip. They narrowly missed a comeback against Washington Capitals in their last outing, falling short by one goal in a 3-2 loss despite efforts from Ryan Poehling and Sean Couturier.

Meanwhile, the Stars have been strong at home this season with a record of 25-7-2. They currently sit second in the Central Division and are likely to face Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. However, they have only secured one win in their last four games.

Flyers' coach John Tortorella has highlighted several key areas to watch during Saturday's game:

1. Goaltending: Samuel Ersson started against Washington but faced challenges stopping three goals on 16 shots. Ivan Fedotov has performed well recently but has only managed one win out of his last five outings.

2. Scoring struggles: The Flyers have struggled offensively, averaging just two goals per game since late January. Travis Konecny remains their leading scorer but has had difficulty finding form lately.

3. Defensive play: Tortorella emphasizes focusing on checking and maintaining low-event periods due to roster depth issues caused by trades and injuries.

Rasmus Ristolainen's absence due to an upper-body injury continues as he is not expected back before season-end according to Tortorella’s recent comments about his recovery prospects being "not optimistic." This provides rookie Emil Andrae an opportunity for more playing time as defensemen step up amid Ristolainen's ongoing absence.