Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 12/31/17-1/6/18

The Philadelphia Flyers will finally start to see some teams in their own conference and division. Philadelphia will have two chances to gain some ground on Metropolitan Division opponents this week.

The Orange and Black will take on divisional rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Tuesday night on national television as the game will be aired on NBCSN at 7:00 p.m. The Islanders will then visit Philly on Thursday night in another big divisional game. The Flyers will end their week with a  visit form Brayden Schenn and the St. Louis Blues, who have been struggling lately.

The Flyers are going to need to find a way to stop Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel since they are the two top point producers on the Pens. Philadelphia needs to play with discipline because the Penguins have the third best power play in the NHL. The Orange and Black want to win the even strength battle since the penalty kill is a weak one. The Flyers need to have a better start to this game since the first period has been a problem for Philly all season. They have been outscored in the first period 33-25 so far. Philly will need to play with energy from the drop of the puck and established the tone of the game early.

The Penguins will want to take advantage of a weak Flyers penalty kill that is ranked 29th in the League. Pittsburgh also needs to get off to a better start since they have been outscored 41-29 in first periods of game. The Pens need to have the better of the even strength play. Pittsburgh needs to have the lead entering the final period of the game since they only have four wins when trailing after two periods, but don't have a loss when leading after two periods. The Pens want to get good goaltending since the Flyers can put the puck in the net, if they are at the top of their game. The Penguins are going to need to get shots on goal and traffic in front of the opposing goaltender.

The Isles will visit the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night for another big divisional game. The Flyers need to find a way to stop Josh Bailey, John Tavares, Anders Lee and company. One way to do that is to get a good forecheck established early, spend some time in the offensive zone, and get plenty of shots on net since the goaltending hasn't been great for New York this year. Philly needs to stay out of the penalty box since the Isles have a dangerous power play that can put the puck in the net. The Orange and Black want to get the first goal of the game, and build from there. The Flyers need to establish a forecheck and cycle game early and often.

New York needs to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a good power play in their own right. The Islanders need to get good goaltending in this game, which is something that has been lacking at times this year. The Isles should try to get an early goal, and make the Flyers play from behind. New York needs to have a better start to this game since they have struggled in first periods of games this year. The Islanders will want to be aware of when Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux on the ice since they have had some good chemistry this year, and can put up some points when on the ice together.

Brayden Schenn makes his return to Philly with this new team, the St. Louis Blues. The Flyers need to make sure that they keep the duo of Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko in-check when they are on the ice. The Orange and Black need to get off to a fast start and have some jump right from the drop of the puck. Philadelphia wants to avoid mistakes and turnovers in this game since the Blues have a decent transition game. The Flyers need to have a solid defensive effort and cash in on their chances when they have them.

The Blues need to get good goaltending in this game whether it should be Jake Allen or Carter Hutton. St. Louis wants to play a full 60 minute game, and not have lapses throughout the game. The Blues should try to get their power play going against the Flyers, who have one of the worst penalty kills in the NHL. St. Louis will need to keep an eye on Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere, who can lead the Flyers offense in different ways. Brayden Schenn should be playing in another gear since he plays against his former team. 

Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 11/12/17-11/18/17

The Buffalo Sabres will look to get back on track, and gain some points in the standings since they are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the Florida Panthers.

The Sabres will take on the defending champions, Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. They will then travel to Detroit for a divisional matchup against the Red Wings. Buffalo will end the week at home to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Buffalo will have a tough task in trying to beat the Penguins even though they are struggling early in the season. The Sabres will need to slow down Phil Kessel and Evengy Malkin, who are both off to hot starts for the Pens. Kessel and Malkin are the offensive leaders in goals, assists and points for Pittsburgh. The Sabres will need to play the type of game that they played against the Capitals last week and be solid on the defensive end of the puck. Buffalo will need to eliminate turnovers and mistakes to have a shot at getting two points and the win. They should try to get pucks on net with traffic in front for rebounds or deflections. Robin Lehner or Chad Johnson is going to need to have a solid game in net for the Sabres.

Pittsburgh will need to get the first goal of the game since they play better when getting the first goal rather than being scored against first. The Pens need to have the lead entering the final frame since they have only forced overtime twice when trailing entering the third and don't have a win yet. They need to attack the defense of Buffalo and force turnovers since some key blue liners are out of the Sabres lineup. The Penguins will need to be aware of Evander Kane and Jack Eichel since they have been producing on a line together this year.

On Friday, the Sabres will have its first leg of a back-to-back situation. Buffalo will need to make sure that they are smart with and without the puck because the Red Wings can burn you with their speed in transition. The Sabres will need to make sure that the forwards help out and have decent gap control especially if they are still missing Marco Scandella and Rasmus Ristolainen on the back end. The Sabres need to get off to a better start then they have been because they've been outscored 17-10 in first periods of games. Buffalo needs to watch out for Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha, who are first and second on the team in scoring.

The Red Wings will need to score the first goal of the game, and get the home crowd involved early in the game. Detroit will need to have a good start against a team who doesn't start games very well by putting the pressure on early in the offensive zone. The Red Wings will need to be aware of Ryan O'Reilly since he is tied for third on the team in scoring and can defend. Detroit should establish a forecheck and cycle game early so they can have some sustained offensive pressure and make the Sabres defend, which they haven't been very good at this year.

Buffalo will end their week at home against the Hurricanes. The Sabres will need to keep an eye on Teuvo Teravainen and Jeff Skinner, who can put the puck in the net. Buffalo will need to have speed through the neutral zone and get in behind the Hurricanes defense. The Sabres need to limit their mistakes and turnovers since Carolina is a team that will capitalize on its opponents mistakes. Buffalo needs to get the lead and keep attacking, don't go into holding the lead mode because they will get burned.

The Hurricanes will need to get the first goal of the game since they are 5-1-1 when doing so. Caroline will need to be really good at even strength since the power play and penalty kill numbers haven't been through the roof good this year. The Canes will need to get the power play going against a team that can give up some goals. Carolina should expect a good game from its goalies since they should see plenty of rubber in this game. The Hurricanes need to get more offense from the defensemen this year since they haven't contributed much in the offensive zone so far.