RAV4 Things: Flyers vs. Maple Leafs

Facing a vital street sport, Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers (27-21-11) are in Ontario on Monday to tackle outdated good friend Craig Berube’s Toronto Maple Leafs (27-24-9). With 4 days to go till the NHL commerce deadline, the Flyers are coming off back-to-back victories. They have to construct a major successful streak to make up the hole within the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

Game time at Scotiabank Arena is 7:30 pm EST. The sport might be televised on NBCSP.

This is the third and closing assembly of the season between the Flyers and Maple Leafs. The Flyers are 0-1-1 within the two video games in opposition to Toronto so far.

Philly enters this sport coming off a rousing 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday afternoon. Goaltender Dan Vladar performed brilliantly in carrying a shutout bid for 53 minutes. Meanwhile, after the sport entered the third interval in a scoreless impasse, objectives by Travis Konecny ​​(twenty third), Jamie Drysdale (sixth) and Sean Couturier (ENG, sixth) equipped the offensive output. Konecny ​​(1g, 1a), Drysdale (1g, 1a) and Christian Dvorak (2a) all completed with two-point video games.

The Maple Leafs are 0-3-0 because the finish of the Olympic break. On Saturday, the Leafs suffered a 5-2 dwelling loss in opposition to the Ottawa Senators. Dylan Cousins ​​had two objectives and an help for Ottawa. In a shedding trigger, Morgan Rielly (eighth) and William Nylander (nineteenth) scored objectives for Toronto, for ex-Flyer Scott Laughton chipped in an help. Starter Joseph Woll was pulled after permitting 5 objectives on 28 pictures. Former Flyers goalie Anthony Stolarz got here on in reduction throughout the latter a part of the second interval and stopped all 12 pictures he confronted.

Entering Monday’s sport, the Flyers are seven factors (six plus a tiebreaker drawback) out of a wildcard spot within the Eastern Conference. They are 11 factors (10 plus a tiebreaker drawback) behind the New York Islanders for third place within the Metropolitan Division however maintain two video games in hand.

Here are the RAV4 Things to trace for Monday’s sport in Toronto.

1. Avoid self-inflicted wounds.

Both losses to Toronto this season have been marked by key performs wherein the Flyers have been their very own worst enemy. Philly scored first in each video games and nonetheless ended up on the shedding facet. Most notably, of their January assembly in Philly, the Flyers had a 1-0 lead and 5-on-3 energy play within the latter a part of the third interval. Unfortunately, the Flyers didn’t money in on the two-man benefit. During the remaining 5-on-4 time, the Flyers coughed up a shorthanded objective to Laughton. The Leafs went on to win in additional time.

In this sport in Toronto, the Leafs enter as essentially the most weak staff. The Flyers have to be proactive and aggressive but additionally opportunistic. Despite their extremely disappointing season, the Maple Leafs nonetheless have fairly a couple of harmful gamers on their roster.

2. Konecny

There have been a number of instances within the final two months wherein two-time Bobby Clarke Trophy winner Travis Konecny ​​has put the staff on his again offensively and equipped both all the offense on a lot of it. His objective on Saturday in opposition to Boston was one other such event. The Flyers stay a staff with a slightly sporadic assault. They rely closely on discovering somebody to lastly assist get issues rolling offensively. Often, TK must be that participant for this staff.

Konecny ​​(57 factors, +10) leads the Flyers in factors and trails solely Noah Cates (+16) in conventional plus-minus ranking amongst Flyers’ forwards. It’s not that Konecny ​​is immune from errors. It’s that he has a knack for stepping up in essential moments after which carrying momentum from there that results in constructive issues for the staff.

3; particular groups

Dating again from earlier than the Olympic break, the Flyers have constructed a streak of 16 straight profitable penalty kills. The PK has climbed again as much as 79.9 % for the season (ranked thirteenth) to maneuver up into the highest half of the league.

The Toronto energy play ranks twenty first within the NHL at 19.3 % success. However, since New Year’s Day, it ranks ninth at a 27.5 % clip.

The Flyers’ energy play ranks twenty eighth this season at 15.9 % success. The Maple Leafs have the NHL’s 4th highest-ranked penalty kill (83.4 %). Since the Olympic break, the Philly energy play is 1-for-9. The Leafs’ PK is 4-for-5 with the facility play going 2-for-7.

4.Faceoff circle

Toronto is the NHL’s No. 1 faceoff staff this season, successful 55.9 of their attracts. Bobby McNann (60 %), Auston Matthews (59.3 %), John Tavares (58.3 %) and Laughton (56.4 %) have all excelled.

The Flyers rank twenty second at 48.9 % on faceoffs. Christian Dvorak and Sean Couturier share the staff lead at 53.4 %. Cates has improved however nonetheless is available in at 44.5 %. Part of the rationale why Trevor Zegras has lined up far more at wing than within the center is his ongoing faceoff struggles (33.7 %).

Winning faceoffs should not all concerning the facilities or the quickness of their fingers and clear wins. It’s additionally about leverage, energy. footwork and the help of linemates if there is a 50/50 battle from the preliminary drop. The Flyers have to not less than maintain their very own in opposition to the Toronto crew, and particularly not lose too many defensive zone attracts cleanly.