The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off tonight at 7:00 PM ET at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. This "Battle of Pennsylvania" finds both teams holding wildcard spots, with the Flyers recently overtaking the Penguins in the standings. The game will be broadcast on SN-PIT, NHLN, and NBCSP.
Here's a look at the projected lineups:
Pittsburgh Penguins:
- Forwards: Kevin Hayes — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust , Tommy Novak — Evgeni Malkin — Anthony Mantha, Rutger McGroarty — Ben Kindel — Ville Koivunen, Connor Dewar — Blake Lizotte — Bokondji Imama.
- Defense: Ryan Shea — Kris Letang, Parker Wotherspoon — Erik Karlsson, Ryan Graves — Connor Clifton.
- Goalies: Tristan Jarry, Arturs Silovs.
Notes: Rutger McGroarty and Boko Imama have been called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL and are expected to make their season debut. Connor Clifton will be in the lineup on defense, replacing Matt Dumba. Bryan Rust is expected to play, adding scoring depth to the Penguins' lineup.
Injuries: Rickard Rakell (hand), Caleb Jones (lower body), Justin Brazeau (upper body), Noel Acciari (upper body), and Filip Hallander (blood clot) are out due to injuries.
Philadelphia Flyers:
- Forwards: Matvei Michkov — Sean Couturier — Bobby Brink, Trevor Zegras — Christian Dvorak — Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster — Noah Cates — Travis Konecny, Nikita Grebenkin — Rodrigo Abols — Garnet Hathaway.
- Defense: Cam York — Travis Sanheim, Emil Andrae — Jamie Drysdale, Nick Seeler — Noah Juulsen.
- Goalies: Dan Vladar, Samuel Ersson.
Notes: Noah Juulsen is expected to return to the lineup, replacing Egor Zamula.
Injuries: Rasmus Ristolainen is out with a triceps injury.
Storylines to watch:
- The Flyers' surge: Philadelphia is 14-7-3 and Coach Tocchet has the team playing well. They are 7-0 in overtime/shootout games.
- Penguins' response: Pittsburgh is looking to bounce back after a loss to the Maple Leafs.
- Key Players: Keep an eye on the Flyers' Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras, and the Penguins' Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. Sidney Crosby has been putting up dominant numbers with 16 goals and 27 points this season. Bryan Rust has 18 points in 22 games. Matvei Michkov has also been heating up, scoring four goals in his last five games.
Dan Vladar will start in goal for the Flyers, while Tristan Jarry gets the nod for the Penguins. Vladar is 10-4-1 this season with a 2.91 GAA and .901 save percentage. Jarry has won six of his last seven starts.
