[10:40 PM] Flyers @ Kings

Who will WIN this matchup?

Philadelphia Flyers (0-0-0)

@ Los Angeles Kings (0-1-0)

 

Starting Goalies:

Michal Neuvirth (PHI): Confirmed

Jeff Zatkoff (LAK): Confirmed

 

Current odds:

Philadelphia Flyers: (+120)

Los Angeles Kings: (-140)

 

• The Philadelphia Flyers finished the 2015-16 regular season with a flourish and head into Friday’s season opener against the host Los Angeles Kings, who began this campaign with the disastrous loss to injury of franchise goaltender Jonathan Quick. The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner and two-time Olympian was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, one day removed from exiting the Kings’ season-opening 2-1 setback to San Jose with an unspecified lower-body injury.

• Philadelphia has been in search for a No. 1 goaltender arguably since its current general manager (Ron Hextall) was between the pipes, but Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth each performed at high levels at various times last season. Wayne Simmonds enjoyed a career-best 32-goal season on the top line and combined with captain Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn to score 80 of the team’s 211 goals (37.9 percent). Fellow forward Jakub Voracek struggled to get it together and finished with 55 points – 26 fewer than the previous season.

• Tyler Toffoli recorded a team-leading 31 goals last season and picked up where he left off 82 seconds into Wednesday’s tilt with a power-play tally. Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty notched an assist on the play, but his team-high four giveaways and his hesitation on a failed block led to the game-winning tally for the Sharks. Despite the loss, Doughty implored his teammates to step up and showed confidence in Zatkoff.

• Philadelphia is looking for secondary scoring from F Dale Weise, who had a career-best 14 goals with Montreal last season.

• Los Angeles reached out to Ontario and recalled G Peter Budaj, who led the American Hockey League with 42 wins and nine shutouts last season.

• Flyers D Radko Gudas will serve the first contest of his six-game suspension for interference against Boston F Austin Czarnik while Kings LW Tanner Pearson will sit out the final tilt of a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Edmonton D Brandon Davidson.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Los Angeles Kings

Confidence: 4/10

Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Previous Pick
Next Pick