LGD: Flying High
By ThatsKappy
6 years agoIt’s Game Day!
Fresh off of their 20th win of the season, the Leafs (20-10-1) head south of the border to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (11-11-7). The two teams meet for the second time this season, with the Flyers getting the better of the Leafs in their first meeting, though they’ve struggled mightily of late, having lost ten straight games before their current three-game winning streak.
Leafs Lines
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY #44 |  RON HAINSEY #2 |
 JAKE GARDINER #51 |  NIKITA ZAITSEV #22 |
 ANDREAS BORGMAN #55 |  ROMAN POLAK #46 |
Auston Matthews will miss a second straight game with an upper-body injury. The Leafs will look to go 6-0 in the Aust-out Matthews era.
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Flyers Lines
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 IVAN PROVOROV #9 |  ANDREW MACDONALD #47 |
 SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE #53 |  ROBERT HAGG #8 |
 TRAVIS SANHEIM #6 |  MARK ALT #39 |
For the Flyers, I’m still getting used to first-line center Sean Couturier with Claude Giroux on the wing. All three members of that top line have been hot, leading their team in scoring. Couturier is tied with Flyers legend James van Riemsdyk for goals this season with 14.
Starting Goalies
Frederik Andersen and Brian Elliot will battle it out tonight. Andersen is now up to 6th in league save percentage amongst goalies who have played 20+ games, with a .922 on the season. He’s been the difference-maker on a team that’s struggled to play a disciplined defensive game and limit shots against, making his early-season struggles seem more and more like a distant memory.
Despite the Flyers’ recent woes, Brian Elliot hasn’t been half bad. He’s got a .912 save percentage on the season and has strung together three strong outings of late as the Flyers have looked to turn things around. It could be a fairly interesting duel of hot goalies tonight, which likely actually means it’ll be an 8-6 barn-burner.
Notes
- For the Leafs, this is the beginning of a stretch that will see them play 8 of their next 9 games on the road. We knew December would be tough, but so far the Leafs have been up to the task. Let’s see if they can keep that momentum going.
- A win tonight could see the Leafs leap all the way up to 3rd in the NHL. The Atlantic may be weak, but it can’t be understated how well the Leafs have started (poor performances aside, the points still count).
Puck Drop is at 7pm on TSN4.
LGD BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PINT
Make the Pint your home for all things game day. We give away a free pound of wings during every game either home or away. 4.40$ mugs of Bud and Bud Lights.
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