Game time at Xfinity Mobile Arena is 12:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference clubs. The Flyers and Kings will play in Los Angeles on March 19.
The Flyers enter this game with a 2-8-2 record over their last 12 games. On Thursday, the Flyers lost 6-3 at TD Garden in Boston. Travis Konecny (21st goal of the season), Nikita Grebenkin (4th) and Matvei Michkov (PPG, 13th) scored in a losing cause.
The Kings will play their fourth match of a five-game road trip. Los Angeles is 2-1-0 so far on the trip. On Thursday, the Kings dropped a 4-1 decision to former Flyers goalie Alex Lyon and the Buffalo Sabres.
Saturday’s tilt is the second match of a three-in-four gauntlet and the front end of a back-to-back for LA. The Kings are in action again on Sunday afternoon against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers will play their third game in less than four nights. Philly has lost three games in a row in regulation after posting five of six possible points on a western road trip to Vegas, Utah and Colorado.
Here are the RAV4 Things to watch on Saturday afternoon.
1. Avoid backdoor goals
The Flyers have had a variety of issues spring up in January, not just a single problem. However, one of the key concerns has been a sharp spike in the number of weak side goals the team has yielded. The Flyers did a very good job improving that area in the season’s first two months. More recently, it’s come back with a vengeance.
Sometimes it’s been structural breakdowns. Other times, it’s been makeable defensive kills that turn into puck watching. A couple have been unfavorable bounces that end up as back post tap-ins. Whatever the specifics, this problem must be addressed for the Flyers to start to bring their team goals against average back down toward respectability.
Left unchecked, backdoor goals far too often help lead to short-side tallies or pucks that go through the goaltender. Addressing the issue is not a magical cure for all that ails the Flyers right now but it’s a vital first step.
2. Grebenkin
Rookie winger Nikita Grebenkin made the most of his opportunity to move up in the lineup in Thursday’s game. Apart from the hustling goal he scored, Grebenkin was around the puck all night. He also brought some physicality.
The entire line with the scorching hot Travis Konecny and Grebenkin flanking Christian Dvorak had a strong game in Boston. Saturday’s game is a great opportunity for Grebenkin to build off his last performance.
3. Between the pipes
Dan Vladar deserved a better fate in Wednesday’s 5-3 loss in Columbus. Don’t be fooled by the goals against total. Vladar played an excellent game in his return from a lower-body injury, especially in the second and third periods. On Thursday, starter Samuel Ersson had to exit after the second period due to a lower-body injury. In relief, Vladar stopped all six shots he faced in the third period.
On Saturday, the Flyers need to provide their goaltender with a chance to give the team itself a chance to win. Meanwhile, it’s imperative for Vladar to stop whatever is stoppable. The Flyers call ill-afford to have to chase another game.
4. Zegras at center
Trevor Zegras has primarily played a hybrid forward role this season, lining up at wing and moving over the middle as offensive opportunities present during a play. He played mostly with Christian Dvorak lining up at center and taking the bulk of the faceoffs. With the team struggling — and Zegras himself in a rough patch during January — Tocchet experimented on Thursday. He put Zegras at center throughout the game, flanked by Matvei Michkov and Bobby Brink.
The line did not have a particularly strong game. Zegras went 1-for-12 on faceoffs, and the trio had some trouble getting in sync. However, it was just one game and the other three new line combinations showed some promise for the time being. Time will tell if the Michkov-Zegras-Brink line gets an extended look together on Saturday. The Flyers had an off day on Friday.