After a disappointing weekend in which the Philadelphia Flyers were able to earn only one out of four possible points against division rivals, head coach Dave Hakstol has decided to make one change to his lineup for tonight’s contest versus the Anaheim Ducks.
Defenseman Evgeny Medvedev appears likely to sit tonight, in favor of Brandon Manning, who was paired with Radko Gudas during the morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center.
Looks like Brandon Manning is in for MDV
— Kyle (@Kyle_Phillippi) February 9, 2016
The team’s third pairing has struggled a bit in recent games, but that can be partially attributed to the poor play of Gudas, who has gone through a rough patch since being removed from the top pairing alongside Michael Del Zotto. However, Gudas receives heavy penalty minutes and is one of Hakstol’s most trusted options in late-game situations, so he may have felt more comfortable sitting Medvedev as a result.
Steve Mason will receive his fifth straight start, keeping rookie Anthony Stolarz on the bench. Mason has started all five games since the all-star break concluded.
Projected Lineup
Jakub Voracek – Claude Giroux – Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl – Scott Laughton – Matt Read
Chris VandeVelde – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Ryan White
Sam Gagner – Nick Cousins – Brayden Schenn
Michael Del Zotto – Shayne Gostisbehere
Brandon Manning – Radko Gudas
Steve Mason
Anthony Stolarz
