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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS TUESDAY, DEC. 10 7:00 P.M. NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at .500 after ending their five-game road trip with a win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
They'll look to go above that mark Tuesday night when they return home to Nationwide Arena to face another .500 team — the Philadelphia Flyers.
Elvis Merzlikins was first on the ice Tuesday, indicating that he'll be the starting netminder. Head coach Dean Evason also said that Cole Sillinger, who left Sunday's win in the third period after blocking a shot, will be in the lineup.
Here's what else to know when Columbus goes up against former coach John Tortorella's new squad:
| PHILADELPHIA | SEASON STATS | COLUMBUS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.86 | t-21st | GOALS FOR | 7th | 3.41 |
| 3.43 | 27th | GOALS AGAINST | 31st | 3.56 |
| 16.9% | t-26th | POWER PLAY | t-24th | 17.4% |
| 80.5% | t-12th | PENALTY KILL | 30th | 71.6% |
| 27.8 | 23rd | SHOTS FOR | t-3rd | 30.9 |
| 28.3 | t-18th | SHOTS AGAINST | t-18th | 28.3 |
| 51.6% | t-12th | FACEOFFS | 27th | 48.0% |
| PHILADELPHIA: LAST THREE GAMES | ||||
| THU, 12/5 | vs. Panthers | L, 7-5 | ||
| SAT, 12/7 | @ Bruins | L, 4-3 (OT) | ||
| SUN, 12/8 | vs. Utah H.C. | WL 4-2 | ||
| PHILADELPHIA: TEAM LEADERS | ||||
| GOALS | Travis Konecny | 13 | ||
| ASSISTS | Konecny | 19 | ||
| POINTS | TK | 32 | ||
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 52% | |||
| CBJ ODDS PER ESPNBET: | +100 | |||
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RE: FLYERS
They're 12-12-4, but it's been a rollercoaster of a season for Philadelphia: they've won just two games in regulation since November 1st, and have won just once on the road in regulation all season (October 29th). They love playing more than 60 minutes, with nine of their last 15 games going to overtime.
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"THE BLENDER" IS WORKING
For the second straight game, James van Riemsdyk, Sean Monahan, and Kent Johnson played as a trio for the second straight game, following Evason putting the lines in a blender, as he put it. It paid big dividends in the win, with van Riemsdyk assisting on two third-period goals from Johnson to propel Columbus to a win. Be careful about calling it the top line, though: the line of Dmitri Voronkov, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko skated together for 14:15 Sunday, compared to just 10:08 for JVR, Monahan, and KJ. It would appear right now that the Blue Jackets a top six, as opposed to a top three.
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ELVIS LIVES
Merzlikins has been above .900 in the save percentage department in four of his last five starts, with a 2.41 goals against average during that span. His GAA and quality start numbers this season are the highest they've been since the 2020-21 season. Credit when credit is due: Elvis has been a reliable hand between the net this season.
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MAKE IT 13 STRAIGHT
After killing the first three Winnipeg power plays Sunday, the Jets connected on their fourth opportunity to make it 13 games in a row in which the Blue Jackets have allowed a goal while on the penalty kill. They broke the record several games ago, but could 13 be the lucky number for Columbus? The Flyers rank tied for 26th in the power play are just 3-of-24 on the power play in their last ten games.
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LINEUP CHANGES & PROJECTIONS
No lineup changes are expected for Tuesday's night game. Here are the complete projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | James van Riemsdyk | 23 | Sean Monahan | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 10 | Dmitri Voronkov | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 27 | Zach Aston-Reese | 4 | Cole Sillinger | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 17 | Justin Danforth | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 62 | Kevin Labanc |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 15 | Dante Fabbro |
| 78 | Damon Severson | 9 | Ivan Provorov |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 22 | Jordan Harris |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 40 | Daniil Tarasov |
