Flyers vs. Red Wings
7 p.m., CSN
After claiming four of six points on their three-game road trip, the Flyers (2-3-2) will return to the Wells Fargo Center for a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings (4-1-2) Saturday evening.
Here are five things you need to know for the game:
1. The hurt locker
The Flyers’ much-maligned defensive corps took yet another major hit Friday. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall announced Braydon Coburn and Andrew MacDonald, who make up the team’s top defensive pair, will miss the next four weeks because of lower-body injuries.
"It’s tough, but there’s nothing I can do about it," Flyers coach Craig Berube said (see story). "We’re going to deal with it and go play. We’ve got capable guys to play. Coburn’s been out for a while anyhow. Everybody will pick up the slack. Like I said, we’ve got guys who can do the job."
Coburn hasn’t played since opening night. He attempted to return last Tuesday in Chicago, but didn’t feel like he was ready to play after taking warm-ups. MacDonald had appeared in all seven of the Flyers’ games. He is suspected to have a foot injury, though the Flyers would not confirm that.
The Flyers are also somewhat banged up on offense. Forwards Vinny Lecavalier (foot) and Zac Rinaldo (upper body) will miss Saturday’s game against Detroit. Lecavalier returned to practice Friday and said he is targeting either Tuesday’s game against Los Angeles or Thursday’s game in Tampa for his return. Hextall said he expects Rinaldo to miss just one game.
NHL
Expect Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who scored his first career NHL goal Wednesday, to continue to fill in for Lecavalier on the team’s second line. Blair Jones will likely take Rinaldo’s spot on the fourth line with Chris VandeVelde and Jason Akeson.
2. Wheel of fortune
While the Flyers have had to battle through the early-season injury bug, the Red Wings are close to being back to full strength.
Star center Pavel Datsyuk (shoulder) returned to Detroit’s lineup in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Montreal and also skated in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Pittsburgh. He collected an assist in each game.
The Red Wings could also get forward Johan Franzen, who has five points in four games, back soon. He’s eligible to be activated from injured reserve Saturday. Franzen, who is out with a lower-body injury, last played on Oct. 17, when he scored two goals in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
3. Anybody home?
The Flyers are still searching for their first victory at the Wells Fargo Center.
In three games held in South Philly this season, the orange and black have been handed a regulation loss by the New Jersey Devils and have been bested in the shootout by the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks.
It marks only the third time the Flyers have lost their first three home contests, joining the 1999-00 and 2008-09 clubs. It should also be noted that the Flyers have never dropped their first four home games to start a season.
4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: If there’s one player the Flyers know they can count on for consistency each game, it’s Matt Read. He forechecks hard, he kills penalties and he’s shown he’s more than capable of contributing on offense. If he didn’t have such tremendous chemistry with Sean Couturier, Read would probably get a chance to expand his offensive role on the Flyers’ top line. Read, who scored his first goal of the season against the Pens, has quietly gone about his business in the early going. While being relied on to shut down the opposition’s top lines on the checking line, which he’s been superb at, he’s still managed to pick up four points in seven games. He’s truly one of the most underrated forwards in the league.
Red Wings: When you look at Detroit’s scoring leaders, it should come as no surprise that Henrik Zetterberg is at the top of the list. He’s already collected 10 points (three goals) this season and enters Saturday riding a four-game point streak. He has an uncanny way of getting into openings and creating opportunities for himself and teammates. The Flyers can’t afford to give the Swede time and space. He burned them for two goals and an assist in his only game against the orange and black last season.
5. This and that
• The Flyers took two of three games against Detroit last season. Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell registered six points apiece in the season series. Daniel Alfredsson, who is currently a free agent with an ailing back, led the way for the Red Wings with four points.
• Detroit is the only team in the NHL that has not allowed a power-play goal this season (21 for 21 on the penalty kill).
• Dating back to the 1997-98 season, the Flyers have won eight straight home games against the Red Wings by a combined score of 33-13.
• Six of Detroit’s seven games this season have been decided by a single marker.
• After potting a goal and picking up two assists Wednesday, Sean Couturier now has two career three-point games in the regular season. He had two markers and two helpers against the Red Wings on Dec. 4, 2013.