Blackhawks at Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers had enjoyed a run of good fortune (4-0-1) to move over .500 for the first time since winning their season opener while the Chicago Blackhawks have reversed course with an 0-5-1 mark to take the starch out of a fast start. The Flyers bid to continue both their recent ascent as well as their long-standing regular-season home dominance of the Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center.
"We had a purpose and it showed. Huge for morale. Huge for us," defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said after his sixth career overtime goal on Thursday capped Philadelphia's home-and-home sweep of Arizona. The 25-year-old has scored and set up a goal in back-to-back contests and had an assist on Nov. 9, 2017, as the Flyers posted a 3-1 win for their 14th straight regular-season home victory over Chicago. Joel Quenneville was behind the bench for a majority of those contests, although the Blackhawks parted ways with the three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach and replaced him with Jeremy Colliton. The 33-year-old Colliton's NHL coaching debut got off to a shaky start on Thursday as Chicago surrendered the game's first four goals before its spirited rally fell short in a 4-3 setback to Carolina.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHL Network, NBCS Chicago, NBCS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (6-7-3): Patrick Kane put illness in his rear-view mirror and regained his stellar form after boosting his team-leading totals with his 12th goal and ninth assist on Thursday. The 2016 Hart Trophy winner will turn his attention to Philadelphia, against which he has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 13 regular-season encounters as well as a 2010 Stanley Cup-clinching goal. Corey Crawford has struggled mightily since permitting just six goals in his first four starts (3-1-0), yielding 18 in his last four (0-4-0).
ABOUT THE FLYERS (8-7-1): Captain Claude Giroux collected five points (two goals, three assists) in the home-and-home set against Arizona to boost his team-leading total to 19. Giroux joined Jakub Voracek with a goal and two assists in Philadelphia's last encounter with Chicago while Sean Couturier -- who also scored in that matchup -- has five points in his last five games (two goals, three assists). Fellow forward Oskar Lindblom is riding a career-best five-game point streak (two goals, five assists).
OVERTIME
1. Chicago last regular-season win at Philadelphia came on Nov. 9, 1996, although Kane's sharp-angle goal allowed the Blackhawks to clinch their 2010 Stanley Cup title with a Game 6 victory in the City of Brotherly Love.
2. The Flyers have been consistent on at least two fronts, as they have scored the first goal in five consecutive contests and permitted a power-play tally in nine straight games.
3. Chicago C Marcus Kruger, who injured his left leg against the Hurricanes, did not travel with the team on Friday and has been ruled out versus Philadelphia.