NHL Preview: Dallas Stars at Philadelphia Flyers

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DALLAS STARS NOTES:

LAST DALLAS STARS GAME
Nov. 11, 2022 – STARS 4 vs. SHARKS 5
Despite a comeback attempt in the third period, the Stars fell 5-4 to the San Jose Sharks in front of a sellout crowd at American Airlines Center on Friday. Captain Jamie Benn (2-0—2) led the club with two goals, including the game’s opening tally, while forwards Joe Pavelski (1-1—2) and Roope Hintz ( 1-0—1) also lit the lamp. Hintz and forward Jason Robertson (0-2—2) extended their point streaks to seven games apiece, and Benn recorded the 45th multi-goal game of his NHL career to move within two of tying Bill Goldsworthy (47) for fourth place on the Stars/North Stars franchise’s all-time list. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen (0-1—1) led all skaters with 27:26 TOI and forward Ty Dellandrea (0-1—1) picked up his fifth assist (0-1—1) of the season. Goaltender Jake Oettinger returned to the lineup after missing four games due to a lower-body injury and made 13 saves on 18 shots. PP: 0-1 | PK: 1-2 | SF: 29 | SA: 18 | DAL TOI: Heiskanen (27:26 – game high) | Attendance: 18,532 (sellout)
Three Stars: 1. SJS – T. Meier 2. SJS – L. Couture 3. DAL – J. Benn

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (CT) Location TV/Radio
Sun., Nov. 13, 2022 @ Philadelphia Flyers 12 p.m. Wells Fargo Center BSSW/KTCK
Tue., Nov. 15, 2022 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 6 p.m. Amalie Arena BSSWX/KTCK
Thu., Nov. 17, 2022 @ Florida Panthers 6 p.m. FLA Live Arena BSSW/KTCK
Sat., Nov. 19, 2022 New York Islanders 7 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK
Mon., Nov. 21, 2022 Colorado Avalanche 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Oct. 26 – Recalled forward Matej Blumel from Texas (AHL); loaned forward Jacob Peterson to Texas
Oct. 30 – Loaned forward Matej Blumel to Texas (AHL)
Oct. 31 – Signed goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year entry-level contract
Nov. 9 – Recalled forward Matej Blumel from Texas (AHL); loaned goaltender Matt Murray to Texas

INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2022-23: 8
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
D Miro Heiskanen Upper body 3 Oct. 25-29
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 4 Nov. 1-8
F Denis Gurianov Upper body 1 Nov. 11-pres

TODAY’S GAME: Suitcases are packed once more as the Stars embark on yet another three-game road trip. It kicks off in the City of Brotherly Love with a matinee affair against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center (12 p.m. CT, TV: Bally Sports Southwest, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). This is the first of two games against the Flyers and the Stars’ lone visit to Philly. Dallas won both games against Philadelphia last season, including a 3-1 victory on Jan. 24 at Wells Fargo Center. The next time these clubs will face each other will be in five months at American Airlines Center on April 6, 2023. Following today’s game, Dallas’ road trip will head to the Sunshine State for games against Tampa Bay on Tuesday (Nov. 15) and Florida on Thursday (No. 17).

I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YA, PLEASE COME BACK TO PHILADELPHIA

  • Dallas won both games in 2021-22 vs. Philadelphia, outscoring the Flyers 8-2.
  • The Stars have wins in four straight games (4-0-0) against the Flyers and have gone 6-1-1 in their past eight head-to-head meetings.
  • They’ve also earned points in seven of the past eight (6-1-1) and 11 of the previous 13 (9-2-2) against the Flyers.
  • Dallas enters Sunday’s matchup with points in three of the previous four (2-1-1) and five of the previous seven (4-2-1) at Wells Fargo Center.
  • The Stars owns a 48-73-35 all-time mark vs. Philadelphia, including a 14-48-17 mark on the road.
  • Forward Roope Hintz led the Stars in scoring last season against the Flyers with four points (2-2—4) in two games. Hintz is riding a four-game point streak (3-3—6) against them, including a multi-point effort (1-1—2) in the most recent meeting on Jan. 24 at Wells Fargo Center.
  • Forward Joe Pavelski had goals in each of the two games last season against the Flyers (2-0—2). He has points (5-2—7) in six of his past seven and eight of his past 10 (7-3—10) against them.
  • Pavelski leads active Stars in goals (14) and ranks second with 20 points (14-6—20) in 21 career games vs. Philadelphia.
  • Forward Tyler Seguin has points in five of his past six (1-6—7) against the Flyers and enters Sunday’s tilt with 11 points (2-9—11) over his previous 11 games against them. Seguin paces all current Stars in assists (19) and points (10-19—29) in 25 career games vs. Philadelphia.
  • Goaltender Jake Oettinger is 1-0-0 against the Flyers with a 1.00 goals-against average and .964 save percentage.
  • Netminder Scott Wedgewood is 1-3-0 with a 3.52 GAA and .872 SV% in four career appearances vs. Philadelphia.

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Nov. 13 at Philadelphia
April 6 vs. Philadelphia

WE’RE TWO STRINGS SHAKING IN A MAJOR CHORD

  • Forwards Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson enter Sunday’s game riding seven-game point streaks.
  • Hintz has 11 points (4-7—11) over that span, including three consecutive multi-point games (Nov. 1-5).
  • Hintz’ seven-game run matches the longest of his career (twice: April 8-22, 2021 & March 18-April 1, 2021).
  • Through 14 games this season, Hintz shares first on club with 12 assists, ranks second with 18 points (6-12—18) and ranks third in goals (6). Since Nov. 1, Hintz has earned nine points (3-6—9) in five games, sharing sixth in the NHL over that span.
  • The 25-year-old has added five points (1-4—5) on the power play and is one of two Stars skaters to record a shorthanded goal (1-0—1) this season (other: Joel Kiviranta). Averaging 2:19 minutes of power-play time per game, Hintz is on the ice for 55.8 % of the team’s total power-play time – third-most on the club.
  • The Tampere, Finland native also ranks second on the club in points per game (1.29) and shares second on the club with a +10 rating.

Hintz’ past seven games:
Nov. 11 vs. SJS: 1-0—1
Nov. 8 @ WPG: 0-1—1
Nov. 5 @ EDM: 0-2—2
Nov. 3 @ ARI: 0-2—2
Nov. 1 vs. LA: 2-1—3
Oct. 29 vs. NYR: 1-0—1
Oct. 27 vs. WSH: 0-1—1
Total points: 4-7—11

  • Robertson’s seven-game point streak is two games shy of his career best of nine straight (April 13-27, 2021).
  • Robertson has amassed 14 points (7-7—14) on his current point streak, including five multi-point efforts.
  • He had goals in six consecutive games from Oct. 27-Nov. 8, becoming the fifth player in franchise history (1967-present) to have a goal streak of six games or more before turning 24, and the second player in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) to do so.
  • Robertson followed Neal Broten from Jan. 23-Feb. 4, 1982 (7-12—19 in 7 GP), Jamie Benn from March 1-11, 2011 (6-1—7 in 6 GP), Mike Modano from Feb. 29-March 10, 1992 (7-2—9 in 6 GP) and Danny Grant from Oct. 16-29, 1969 (6-1—7 in 6 GP).
  • Since entering the league in 2019-20, Robertson has recorded nine career three-point outings. Only two Stars players have more over that span: Joe Pavelski (13) and Roope Hintz (11).
  • Since Nov. 1, Robertson has tallied 11 points (5-6—11) through five games, ranking second in the NHL over that span.
  • The 23-year-old leads the Stars and shares fourth in the NHL in points (9-12—21). He also leads the club and shares eighth in the league with nine goals. He co-leads the squad in assists and shares the league lead with three game-winning goals.
  • The Arcadia, California native is averaging better than a point-per-game pace through his four NHL seasons (67-79—146 in 142 GP).

Robertson’s past seven games:
Nov. 11 vs. SJS: 0-2—2
Nov. 8 @ WPG: 1-0—1
Nov. 5 @ EDM: 1-2—3
Nov. 3 @ ARI: 2-0—2
Nov. 1 vs. LA: 1-2—3
Oct. 29 vs. NYR: 1-1—2
Oct. 27 vs. WSH: 1-0—1
Total points: 7-7—14

LIKE A KALEIDOSCOPE IN VIBRANT HUES
Forward Jason Robertson was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week for the week ending Nov. 6. Robertson registered eight points (4-4—8), scoring in all three of his outings to push his goal streak to a career-high five games (dating to Oct. 27: 6-5—11) and help the Stars (8-3-1, 17 points) complete a perfect week. Robertson posted three points (1-2—3), including the go-ahead goal, in a 5-2 win over the LA Kings on Nov. 1. He then scored twice in a 7-2 triumph against the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 3. Robertson capped the week with three points (1-2—3), highlighted by his 17th career game-winning goal and third of the season, in a 6-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 5.

HEY MISTER, DON’T YOU DOUBT IT

  • Captain Jamie Benn (2-0—2) opened the scoring on Friday vs. San Jose and has six goals in his past four games (6-2—8).
  • Benn recorded the 45th multi-goal game of his NHL career on Nov. 11 vs. San Jose and moved within two of tying Bill Goldsworthy (47) for fourth place on the Stars/North Stars franchise’s all-time list.
  • With a hat trick (3-0—3) against the Oilers on Nov. 5, Benn (333) surpassed Dino Ciccarelli (332) for sole possession of third place among franchise leaders (1967-present) in goals.
  • In addition, Benn (7) trails only Ciccarelli (14) and Bill Goldsworthy (8) for the most three-goal outings in Stars/North Stars franchise history (1967-present). Note: Mike Modano also had seven hat tricks with the Stars/North Stars franchise.
  • Benn’s primary assist on the power play on Nov. 3 against Arizona game him five primary helpers with the man advantage in the 2022-23 season – his most since 2016-17 when he set a career high with 10 primary assists on the PP in 77 GP.
  • The 33-year-old shares third in goals (6) and assists (7) and ranks fourth on the team in points (6-7—13)
  • He also leads the club in faceoff win percentage (60.0%), ranks second in faceoffs taken (135) and faceoff wins (81) and shares fifth in hits (19).
  • Benn is 38 games shy of 1,000 and 30 games from tying Neal Broten (992 GP) for second place on the franchise’s (1967-present) all-time games played list.

IN A TEENAGE MEMORY THAT I HOLD UNTIL ETERNITY

  • Rookie forward Wyatt Johnston potted his fourth goal of the season on Nov. 3 against the Coyotes. The only rookies with more are Ottawa’s Shane Pinto (8) and Seattle’s Matty Beniers (5).
  • At 19 years, 173 days, he became the first teenager in Stars/North Stars history (1967-present) to record a three-game goal streak on the road with his goal on Nov. 3 at Arizona. The last teenager to have a longer road run was Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov (4 GP in 2019-20).
  • With a goal (1-0—1) on Oct. 25 against Boston, Johnston became the third youngest player in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) to score in consecutive games. Johnston followed Valeri Nichushkin (2 GP in 2013-14) and Miro Heiskanen (2x in 2018-10, both 2 GP).
  • With a goal (1-0—1) in the season opener on Oct. 13, forward Johnston became the youngest player in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) to score a goal in his NHL debut (19 years, 151 days) and second youngest in franchise history (1967-present) with at least one goal in his NHL debut, behind Dave Archibald (18 years, 179 days on Oct. 10, 1987). Mike Modano (19 years, 120 days on Oct. 5, 1989) scored in his first regular-season NHL game but had debuted during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

WE PUT MILES ON THESE OLD JEAN JACKETS

  • With a goal (1-1—2) on Nov. 11 vs. San Jose, forward Joe Pavelski needs just one more to tie Bill Guerin (429) for eighth place in goals among U.S.-born skaters in NHL history.
  • Pavelski has points (3-4—7) in five of his past six games and eight of 14 overall (7-7—14).
  • Through 14 games this season, the Plover, Wisconsin native ranks second on the Stars in goals (7), ranks third in points (14) and shares third in assists (6).
  • He also paces the club in plus-minus (+12), ranks second in even-strength goals (5) and ranks third in even-strength points (5-6—11).
  • With a three-goal, four-point performance (3-1—4) on Oct. 22 at Montreal, Pavelski (38 years, 103 days) became the oldest player in Stars/North Stars franchise history (1967-present) to score a hat trick. He eclipsed Brett Hull (36 years, 224 days) as the oldest player
    to accomplish the feat.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME BROADCAST INFO.
Tue., Nov. 15 Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena 7:30 p.m. ESPN+/Hulu, 97.5 The Fanatic
Thur., Nov. 17 Boston Bruins TD Garden 7 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
Sat., Nov. 19 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre 7 p.m. NBCSP, T.B.D.

CURRENT INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Cam Atkinson upper body 9/25-present 14
Patrick Brown IR-back 9/21-present 14
Sean Couturier back 9/19-present 14
Ryan Ellis LTIR-groin/hip/back 10/11-present 14
James van Riemsdyk IR-upper body 10/27-present 8
2022-23 TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 78

PREVIOUS INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Carter Hart illness 11/8 1
Owen Tippett upper body 10/15-10/27 5
Rasmus Ristolainen lower body 10/13-10/27 6
Felix Sandstrom lower body 10/1-10/17 2

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
11/9 – Recalled D Egor Zamula from Lehigh Valley (AHL) and loaned G Samuel Ersson to the Phantoms
11/8 – Recalled G Samuel Ersson from Lehigh Valley and loaned D Egor Zamula to the Phantoms

FLYERS VS. STARS: HEAD-TO-HEAD
FLYERS STARS
76-47-33 ALL-TIME RECORD 48-73-35
49-14-16 HOME 34-25-18
27-33-17 ROAD 14-48-17
1-4-0 LAST 5 MEETINGS 4-1-0
3-6-1 LAST 10 MEETINGS 7-2-1
523 GOALS SCORED 432
22.3% POWER PLAY 20.4%
79.6% PENALTY KILL 77.7%
Braun: 11 pts (1-10=11) in 33 GP
Konecny: 5 pts (2-3=5) in 9 GP
Hayes: 5 pts (1-4=5) in 12 GP

TEAM SCORING LEADERS Seguin: 29 pts (10-19=29) in 25 GP
Pavelski: 20 pts (14-6=20) in 21 GP
Benn: 13 pts (6-7=13) in 19 GP
Hart: 1-2-0, 2.05 GAA, .932 SV% in 3 GP
Sandstrom: Has not faced DAL

TEAM GOALTENDERS Wedgewood: 1-3-0, 3.52 GAA, .872 SV% in 4 GP
Oettinger: 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .964 SV% in 1 GP

TEAM NOTES
QUICK HITS

  • Philadelphia has allowed the opposing team to score first in 10 of its 14 games this season and has scored first in three of its last five games. The Flyers rank T-1st in the NHL with five wins when trailing first in a game.
  • The Flyers recorded a franchise-best 59 hits Saturday vs. OTT. The 59 hits are tied for the ninth-most in a regular season game in NHL history.
  • Philadelphia ranks T-7th in the League in fewest goals against (38) and seventh in fewest goals against per game (2.71).
  • The Flyers are 4-1-2 in one-goal games this season, ranking T-5th in the NHL in one-goal game wins.
  • Philadelphia killed a season-high five penalties on Nov. 5 at OTT for the second time this season, also, Oct. 15 vs. VAN. The club has killed 24-of-29 penalties in the last nine games, ranking ninth in the NHL in penalty kill percentage (82.8) since Oct. 23.

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER

  • The Flyers play nine road games this month – the most road games in a single month this season

BACK-TO-BACKS

  • Saturday’s and Sunday’s games this weekend mark the Flyers’ fourth back-to-back set of 15 this season.
  • The set marks the first of three home back-to-backs this season:
  1. Nov. 12 vs. OTT (4-1 L); Nov. 13 vs. DAL
  2. Feb. 11 vs. NSH; Feb. 12 vs. SEA
  3. March 17 vs. BUF; March 18 vs. CAR
  • The Flyers are 2-1-1 in the first game of a back-to-back this season and 0-3-0 in the second.

RISING TALENT

  • The Flyers have five rookies (four skaters and one goalie) on the current roster and lead the NHL with seven rookies appearing in at least one NHL game this season.
  • This season, the rookies have collectively recorded 12 of the team’s 100 points for a 12.0 team rookie scoring percentage.
  • Philadelphia ranks T-6th in the NHL in team rookie points and seventh in team rookie scoring percentage.
  • The rookies have netted a combined five goals to rank T-3rd among NHL team rookie goals and fourth in team rookie goal percentage (13.9).
  • Wade Allison (3-1=4) and Noah Cates (2-2=4) each lead team rookies in scoring. Allison leads team rookies in goals and shots (24) and ranks fourth on the team in hits (42). He also ranks second among NHL rookies in hits, T-3rd in EVG (3), T-4th in goals, fifth in shots and T-6th in plus/minus rating (+4).
  • Goaltender Felix Sandstrom earned his first NHL win Nov. 8 vs. STL to become the third Swedish-born goalie in team history to record a victory (Pelle Lindbergh & Tommy Soderstrom).

KONNECT FOUR

  • Travis Konecny tallied an assist Saturday night to stretch his assist/point streak to five games (1-6=7).
  • He owns 10 points (1-9=10) in the last eight games, including three multi-point contests.
  • He leads the team in goals (5), assists (11), points (16), shots (44) and multi-point games (6) and ranks T-1st in game-winning goals (2) this season.
  • The forward recorded his first career shorthanded assist/point vs. VAN (10/15).
  • The 25-year-old netted two goals Oct. 13 vs. NJ for his 11th career multi-goal game. Per NHL Stats, he became the second player in Flyers history to have two-or-more multi-goal games in a season opener (Bill Barber, 3x, 10/9/80, 10/9/81 & 10/7/82).
  • He ranks second in Flyers history in GWG (18), third in goals (115), fourth in scoring (287) and assists (172) and fifth in PPG (21) since entering the NHL in 2016-17.

LUCKY NUMBER 13

  • Kevin Hayes owns three points (2-1=3) in the last four games.
  • The 30-year-old ranks second on the team in assists (10), points (13) and multi-point games (4) and T-2nd in PPA (4) this season.
  • He collected eight points (1-7=8) in a career-high five-game season-opening point streak, Oct. 13-22.
  • He tallied his 200th career assist Oct. 19 at FLA.
  • Set a career-high three-game PPP streak (3a) from Oct. 13-18.

WHOLE LOT OF HART

  • Carter Hart opened the season on an eight-game point streak (6-0-2) to become the fourth goaltender in team history to have started a season on an eight-game plus point streak: Pete Peeters (22-0-5 in 1979-80), Bob Froese (9-0-1 in 1982-83) and Dominic Roussel (8-0-0 in 1993-94). (NHL Stats)
  • He ranks second among NHL goaltenders in SV% (.937), T-6th in GAA (2.18) and T-7th in wins.
  • He made a career-high 48 shots and tied his career high with 51 shots faced vs. FLA on Oct. 27.
  • He recorded a career-high season-opening five-game win streak.
  • Per NHL Stats, he became the seventh goaltender in Flyers history to win each of his first five games of a season and first since Ron Hextall (5-0-0 in 1995-96). The longest such stretch in franchise history is eight straight games, achieved by Dominic Roussel (1993-94) and Bob Froese (1982-83).
  • The 24-year-old’s 48 saves tied for the eighth-most by a Flyers goaltender while his 51 shots faced T-10th. Per NHL Stats, his 48 saves mark the highest single game save total by a Flyers goaltenders since Steve Mason on March 22, 2016 (51 at CBJ).
  • Outside of Philadelphia, he only has two NHL teams he has not earned a win against: Colorado and St. Louis.

IVAN THE GREAT

  • Ivan Provorov recorded two points (1-1=2) Thursday night for his second multi-point game of the season.
  • His goal Thursday night tied him for fourth place in team history for goals by a defenseman with Shayne Gostisbehere (60). The two points tied him for seventh place for points by a Flyers defenseman with Joe Watson (198).
  • He owns three points (1-2=3) in the last three games.
  • The blueliner ranks third on the team in assists (7), fourth in shots (33) and fifth in hits (28) this season.
  • The 25-year-old leads the Flyers and ranks third in the NHL with 44 blocked shots.
  • He tallied two assists, a plus-4 rating and 10 blocked shots in Philadelphia’s season opener on Oct. 13 vs. NJ.
  • The Russian native’s 10 blocked shots tied the franchise record for most in a game for the third time: Andrew MacDonald (3/11/16); Provorov (11/2/17 & 10/13/22).

TIP OF THE HAT

  • Owen Tippett collected two points (1-1=2) Tuesday for his first multi-point game of the season, his sixth career.
  • The forward owns five points (3-2=5) in the last eight games.
  • He ranks T-1st on the team in PPG (2), T-2nd in goals (3) and fifth in shooting percentage (13.0) this season.
  • The 23-year-old has 12 points (7-5=12) in 30 career games with the Flyers in two seasons.
    WELCOME HOME
  • Tony DeAngelo ranks T-2nd on the team in goals (3) and PPP (5), T-3rd in points (9) and T-4th in assists (6) this season. He also ranks T-9th among NHL defensemen in PPP.
  • He recorded five points (1-4=5) in a four-game point streak, Oct. 13-19.
  • Per NHL Stats, he became the fifth defenseman in Flyers history to start a season on a point streak of at least four games: Behn Wilson (7 games in 1981-82), Chris Pronger (5 games in 2011-12), Gary Galley (four games in 1993-94) and Mark Howe (four games in 1988-89 & 1984-85).
  • The blueliner scored his first goal in a Flyers sweater, on the power play, Oct. 15 vs. VAN.
  • The Sewell, NJ native, made his Flyers debut on Oct. 13, registering two assists, a plus-3 rating and three blocked shots in a team-high 23:46 TOI.

STEADY AT THE HELM

  • Head Coach John Tortorella became the second head coach to win each of his first three games behind the Flyers bench – only Paul Holmgren (4-0-0 in 1988-89) had done so to date. Tortorella, who has coached four other NHL clubs, has never won each of his first three games behind a team’s bench. (NHL Stats)
  • He is 680-546-171 in 1,397 career games as an NHL head coach.
  • He ranks second amongst U.S.-born head coaches in all-time wins. Per NHL Stats, he will become the 12th head coach in NHL history to reach 700 wins.
  • He is three games shy of becoming the 12th head coach in NHL history to serve 1,400 regular season games.