Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 12/10/17-12/16/17

The Philadelphia Flyers look to extend their winning streak to four games after having four days off. It won't be an easy task as they face some good teams this week, but they will play in front of the home crowd all week.

On Tuesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town, and it won't be an easy task to get a win whether or not Auston Matthews is in the Leafs lineup. The Buffalo Sabres will visit the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. The Flyers finish off their week against the Dallas Stars, who have struggled on the road so far this year.

The Flyers will need to keep the balanced scoring going that they have had the past three games. Philadelphia will ned to get the first goal of the game and build off of it. The Orange and Black will need to keep attacking and establish a good forecheck game early in the game to make the Leafs defend. The Flyers will need to limit their mistakes especially in the neutral zone since the Leafs have some good transition speed. Philly will need to keep James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner in check.

Toronto needs to find a way to stop the recently red hot Michael Raffl, who has scored five goals in his last eight games after scoring zero in his previous 42. The Leafs will need to get some good goaltending the Flyers can also get some pucks on net. The Maple Leafs will need to have a solid, road effort and get scoring from the depth lines. Toronto will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a good power play. They will also need to watch the Philly defense since they like to join the play in the offensive zone, and will pinch to keep a play alive.

The Flyers will need to keep the new look lines and balanced attack going against the Sabres. Philly needs to not play down to their opponent since they have been known to do this the past few years. The Flyers will need to get in on the attack, establish a forecheck early in the game and force a ton of turnovers throughout the game. The Orange and Black need to be better with the puck, and limit their mistakes since they have had plenty of costly turnovers lately. Philly needs to avoid the penalty box since the penalty kill has been in the bottom of the League all season long. The Flyers need to be aware of where Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville are on the ice.

Buffalo will need to get the first goal of the game since the Flyers are a better team when playing with the lead. The Sabres will need to keep attacking and get some sustained pressure in the offensive zone to keep the new balanced lines off the board for Philly. Buffalo will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a decent power play even though they have allowed four shorthanded goals against this year. The Sabres will need to keep Jake Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere in check since they play a big part in the offense. Buffalo will need to be aware of the Philadelphia defense since they have no problem joining the play in the offensive zone.

The Flyers will end their week playing the somewhat inconsistent Stars. Philadelphia will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Stars have a power play that can be dangerous. The Flyers will need to contain Tyler Seguin, who leads the Stars in both goals and total points. The Orange and Black will also need to pressure the puck carrier and force the Stars into making turnovers. Philly will need to limit their mistakes with and without the puck because the Stars can make you pay for your mistakes. The Flyers will need to be sure to get some traffic in front of the goalie, get a ton of shots on net and make sure that they have someone in front for rebound opportunities.

The Stars will need to somehow figure out a way to cure their road woes that they have had so far this year. It would help if they could play a solid, defensive, 60 minute game and avoid the mistakes. Dallas will need to find a way to keep Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier off the board since they have contributed a lot to the offense this year. The Stars will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a power play that can be dangerous. Dallas will need to get the forecheck and cycle game going early for a chance to get the first goal of the game, and make Philly play from behind.