Columbus Blue Jackets (21–13–2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (15–12–7*)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2017, 7 p.m. (NATIONWIDE ARENA)
**Denotes Flyers' record through Thursday's games.
The Blue Jackets were fortunate to get a point Thursday in Pittsburgh.
And there are no favors in this league, as they'll now face the red-hot Philadelphia Flyers in their final game before the Christmas break. After a loss on Monday night, the Flyers rebounded with a win over Detroit on Wednesday night, and were in Buffalo last night to take on the Sabres. Tonight's game will be the third in four nights for Philadelphia, a desperate team that's trying to climb into a playoff spot after a tough start.
You Oughta Know: Jake Voracek
Well, you know this name.
Voracek was the Blue Jackets' first pick, No. 7 overall, in 2007 (a draft held at Nationwide Arena). He was traded to the Flyers in 2011 as part of a deal that landed Jeff Carter in Columbus, and since arriving in Philadelphia, he's flourished. This year hasn't been as strong as a few recent ones for Voracek, but he's capable of making plays and impacting the game on any given shift.
Fast Facts
- The Flyers arrived in Columbus late last night after a game in Buffalo against the Sabres. Expect some lineup changes, particularly in goal, for Philadelphia in advance of tonight's game.
- After a poor possession game on Thursday in Pittsburgh, the Blue Jackets need to get their 5-on-5 game back on track. They were under 40% Corsi on Thursday and yielded several high-danger chances to the Penguins.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last 13 games.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: First meeting
LAST YEAR: Blue Jackets won 3–1–0
Keys to the Game
ONE: Manage the puck. The Flyers are an aggressive team that can make you pay for mistakes, so keeping a clean house between the blue lines is important.
TWO: Support Bob. The workload was heavy for Bobrovsky on Thursday but he was up for it, however, the Blue Jackets can't expect success when they need him as much as they did in Pittsburgh.
THREE: Get to the net. The Blue Jackets saw results the last couple of games when they fed the puck to high-traffic areas, an example being Dubois' power play goal against Toronto. The more you get it there, the better your chances.
Flyers Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Claude Giroux | 34 GP, 13-26-39 | 14 | Sean Couturier | 34 GP, 16-15-31 | 17 | Wayne Simmonds | 34 GP, 11-10-21 |
| 12 | Michael Raffl | 34 GP, 5-4-9 | 51 | Valtteri Filppula | 34 GP, 8-8-16 | 93 | Jake Voracek | 34 GP, 8-34-42 |
| 40 | Jordan Weal | 29 GP, 3-6-9 | 19 | Nolan Patrick | 25 GP, 2-5-7 | 22 | Dale Weise | 28 GP, 4-2-6 |
| 20 | Taylor Leier | 28 GP, 1-3-4 | 21 | Scott Laughton | 34 GP, 5-5-10 | 11 | Travis Konecny | 34 GP, 4-6-10 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 34 GP, 4-10-14 | 47 | Andrew MacDonald | 19 GP, 1-2-3 |
| 53 | Shayne Gostisbehere | 31 GP, 6-20-26 | 8 | Robert Hagg | 34 GP, 1-4-5 |
| 6 | Travis Sanheim | 31 GP, 1-4-5 | 3 | Radko Gudas | 22 GP, 0-3-3 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Brian Elliott | 26 | 13-7-6 | 2.65 | .915 | 1 |
| 49 | Alex Lyon | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
