Kings host Flyers with Pacific Division lead in sight

The Kings have been closing out 2022 in spectacular fashion and will look to end the year with another victory over the battered and staggered Philadelphia Flyers in a Saturday matinee.

They have won six of their last seven matches as part of a seven-game points streak and they’ve earned at least one point in nine of their past 10. They have an excellent chance to extend their run against a club that had won just two of its past nine games before an overtime victory Thursday and had posted its third double-digit winless streak in the calendar year earlier this season.

The most recent links on the Kings’ chain of success were added from statement wins over the Vegas Golden Knights, whom the Kings now trail by just two points for first place in their division, and the Colorado Avalanche, last year’s Stanley Cup winners who hauled a nine-game win streak against the Kings into the matchup.

In both contests, the Kings owned the final frame. Against Vegas on Tuesday, a tight, contested game tilted in their favor late as they fought for every inch of ice and scored twice. In Colorado on Thursday, where they hadn’t won in four years, the Kings led twice, fell behind by two goals and then produced a pair of unanswered third-period tallies to tie a match that they ultimately won in a shootout.

“We didn’t cheat. We got back to the little details in our game,” said Kings center Phillip Danault, who has eight points across a six-game scoring streak. “We played solid defensively, we didn’t give up much and (goalie Pheonix Copley) was outstanding again. It was a big, big character win.”

Amid that third-period flurry, center Quinton Byfield moved up to the top line and scooted over to left wing. The Kings have experimented with their lines, particularly with the absences of Arthur Kaliyev, who remained on IR on Friday, and Trevor Moore, who will be out Saturday and whose return does not appear imminent.

Only the Ducks – who have had plenty of opportunities since they’ve faced a deficit at 18 second intermissions and led just four times – and New York Islanders have as many successful multi-goal, third-period rallies as the Kings this season.

The Flyers came up with a comeback of their own Thursday. They trailed 3-1 to the San Jose Sharks in the third period, but got goals from Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny, leading to Tony DeAngelo’s game-winner 70 seconds into overtime.

DeAngelo, an Italian-American, finished the scoring for Philly in San Jose, while Italian-Canadian Gabe Vilardi, who was a Flyers fan in his youth, got it started for the Kings in Colorado. Vilardi stumbled out of the blocks in December with no goals and just two points in his first 10 games, but has found the back of the net in three of his last four outings to extend his team lead in goals.

Paisanos will abound Saturday as the Flyers are coached by John Tortorella, another Italian-American, who stewarded the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup in 2004. His first year as the Flyers’ bench boss has hardly resembled his successful seasons in Tampa and with the New York Rangers.

Philadelphia has posted the second-lowest point total in the Eastern Conference as a team that was short on talent to begin with and then trampled by injuries. Defenseman Ryan Ellis (pelvis) is dealing with a potentially career-threatening injury. Winger Cam Atkinson (neck) will miss the entire campaign. No. 1 center Sean Couturier (back) will likely not return until March. Only three Flyers have played in all 36 of their games this season.

Though he was unavailable in San Jose, goalie Carter Hart (concussion protocol) will likely play against the Kings. The 24-year-old won his first five decisions of the season and has stolen most of his victories for an underwhelming and undermanned group. Removing his hot start from the equation, the Flyers have won just seven of 31 games. Third-string goalie Samuel Ersson earned his first career victory in San Jose, and backup Felix Sandstrom has won just once in nine appearances.