Flyers at Flames
A pair of sputtering teams will face off on Thursday as the Philadelphia Flyers look to snap a five-game winless skid (0-4-1) when they visit the Calgary Flames. Philadelphia's struggling offense has been a primary concern for first-year coach Dave Hakstol, as the team has mustered just five goals in its last four contests and is 0-for-14 on the power play in its last six.
In addition to their offensive troubles, the Flyers yielded a whopping 49 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 setback to Edmonton and have permitted 30 or more in each of their last 12 games. "We're winning battles and almost handing it right back to them, and we're in our own zone again," center Ryan White told Philly.com. The Flyers won't receive much in the way of sympathy from the Flames, who have failed to duplicate any semblance of the team's feel-good story of 2014-15. "It's frustrating. ... You wanted to go out and - especially with the run we had last year - we really wanted to surprise some people," forward Joe Colborne told the Calgary Herald.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, RSN (Calgary)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (4-6-2): Wayne Simmonds has just one goal in 12 games while top-line forwards Michael Raffl and Jakub Voracek have yet to tally this season. Perhaps the return of center Sean Couturier could be what Philadelphia needs to ignite its offense. Couturier, who had a career-high 15 goals last season, has been sidelined for six games due to a concussion sustained following a brutal hit from former Flyer Zac Rinaldo of Boston on Oct. 21.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (3-9-1): Johnny Gaudreau scored in a 6-3 loss to Colorado on Tuesday and has a goal and three assists in two meetings with the Flyers. Despite Gaudreau's team-leading 13 points, the Flames have failed to receive much of a spark from many others on the club. "We could make a trade as soon as I hang up the phone here," general manger Brad Treliving told the Calgary Herald. "But it’s one that, in an hour, we'll be regretting for years. To me, there is no quick fix in this."
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia recalled Davis Drewiske from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League with fellow D Evgeny Medvedev nursing an upper-body injury.
2. Calgary D Dougie Hamilton has recorded a minus-11 rating as he struggles to adjust to his new team.
3. The Flames have permitted five short-handed goals in their last five games.