Coyotes Fly to Philadelphia to Take On Flyers
The Coyotes begin the second half of their season in midst of an eight game road trip when they head to Philadelphia to take on the the Flyers on Tuesday.
Before the All Star break this past weekend, Arizona had lost their sixth consecutive game. It was a one sided affair as the Chicago Blackhawks dispatched of the Coyotes 6-1. Mike Smith made 45 saves and Lucas Lessio had his first career NHL goal.
Jan 24, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view as NHL players line up during player introductions before the 2015 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Coyotes were represented in the All Star activities by Oliver Ekman-Larsson who performed in the Skills Challenge Relay and Shootout.
"“Everything was special. It was just fun to be on the ice. The fans are great here and it was a good experience for me. I would like to do that again.”– Oliver Ekman-Larsson"
Since Arizona (16-25-5) will be without Mikkel Boedker for an extended period of time, look for the first line of Shane Doan, Antoine Vermette and Tobias Rieder to make an impact.
Tonight’s opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers, won their last game before the All Star Break. It was a 3-2 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ray Emery had 33 saves on his way to victory and Claude Giroux had the game winning goal.
Philadelphia needs to start gaining some momentum in the wild card race. They are currently 12 points from Boston and Washington, the two wild card teams.
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The Flyers (19-22-7) are led by Giroux and Jakub Voracek, two of the most prolific offensive players this season. Joining them is one of the more offensively minded defenseman, Mark Streit.
Voracek’s 39 assists and 56 points lead the NHL. Giroux’s 35 assists is 3rd in the NHL and his 51 points is tied for 3rd in the NHL. Streit is 4th among NHL Defensemen in points (34) and assists (27).
One thing to take notice in this game is the importance of special teams play. Both Arizona’s and Philadelphia’s power play units rank in the top 10. However, both of Arizona’s and Philadelphia’s penalty kill units rank in the bottom five.
Mike Smith and Ray Emery are the projected goaltenders. The puck will drop for the Coyotes and Flyers at 5:00 MST in Philadelphia.