Advertisement

Game Thirty-Six Preview: Flyers @ Kings

keith fries
·3 min read

The Los Angeles Kings host the Philadelphia Flyers in their second game of a five-game homestand. This is also the second game for the Flyers on their five-game road trip.

Both teams come into this contest on the second night of a back-to-back where, this season, the Kings are 4-1-0 and the Flyers are 1-5-0. Philadelphia’s most recent second-half loss came at the hands of LA at home, ten days ago, on December 19th, 2024, where the Kings turned it on in the third period scoring four goals in the last twenty minutes, final score 7-3.

Yesterday, the Kings recorded a 4-3 overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers and the Flyers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-1.

A few weeks back, rumors circulated that LA and Philadelphia could be making a trade with one another, but those rumblings seem to have murmured. Nevertheless, this is a good chance for each club to scout the other in the event an offer is still on the table.

PHILLY DANAULT

In eighteen career games against the Flyers, Kings Forward Phillip Danault has recorded thirteen points (3G, 10A) with a +8 rating. Danault’s calling card has always been his ability to battle in the faceoff circle and his numbers against Philadelphia reflect that – a 57.3% success rate in two hundred seventy-four battles.

In their last meeting, Danault registered an assist and a -1.

Against the Flyers, Danault has averaged 17:33 TOI. That’s tied for his sixth-most (with the New York Rangers) versus any NHL team he’s faced. By comparison, both the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators are tied for second with Danault averaging 17:41 TOI.

PETER OUT

On June 6th, 2023, the Kings finalized a three-team trade with the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The noteworthy exchange between LA and Philadelphia was the cap dump of Goaltender Cal Petersen.

Petersen had signed a three-year extension with the Kings on September 22nd, 2021 worth $15M ($5M AAV) beginning in the 2022-23 season. He’d only see ten games in the NHL, that season, with a 3.75 GAA and a .868 SV% on a 5-3-2 record, before being put on the waivers with the intent of sending him down to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Ontario Reign.

“The idea here is that Cal can go down [to Ontario] and play in games and get that structure that we believe in, [then] come back up and help us.” – LA Kings General Manager Rob Blake

Petersen would not return to LA.

To get out from under his contract, Kings General Manager Rob Blake sent a package of players (Petersen, Sean Walker, and Helge Grans) along with a 2024 second-round draft pick which bounced from the Flyers to the Chicago Blackhawks and finally the New York Islanders.

Since the trade, Petersen has only played in five NHL games including a 4-2 win over the Kings on November 11th, 2023.

A netminder once thought to be Jonathan Quick’s predecessor, Petersen never quite lived up to his hype coming out of college where he Captained the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Flyers' goaltending hasn't been great, this season. Samuel Ersson, Aleksei Kolosov, and Ivan Fedotov have a combined 12-14-4 record, 3.37 GAA and an .878 SV%. If that trend continues, Philadelphia may take a flyer on Petersen.

FLY BY

Kings Forward Quinton Byfield heads into this contest riding a four-game point streak against the Flyers with one goal and five assists.

Puck drop is slated for 6:05 PM PST. You can watch the game on television via FanDuel Sports Network or listen live with the ESPN LA app.

Related Videos: LA Kings Weekly Preview