Detroit @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 18, 2018 ) Detroit 2, Philadelphia 3

Carter Hart made quite the impression during his NHL debut two months ago, turning aside 20 shots in the Philadelphia Flyers' 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Flyers, who entered that contest in last place in the Eastern Conference, are 10-1-1 in their last 12 outings heading into Saturday afternoon's opener of a home-and-home series against the visiting Red Wings.

Hart saw his personal eight-game winning streak halted in a 4-1 setback versus Pittsburgh on Monday before Philadelphia rebounded from an early deficit the following night in a 5-4 victory over Minnesota. James van Riemsdyk, who tallied twice against the Wild, collected a goal and an assist in the Flyers' 3-2 win over Detroit on Dec. 18 that improved the club to 14-0-1 in its last 15 regular-season home games against the Red Wings since Jan. 25, 1997. Detroit has answered a three-game skid with back-to-back 3-2 victories over Nashville and Ottawa, with speedy Andreas Athanasiou scoring three times in the wins to reach the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career. "It is nice to get my 20th goal, and I'm sure a lot of guys think that's a big deal, but I've never put a number on what I want to do," the 24-year-old Athanasiou said. "I just try to create as many chances as I can and try to finish some of them off."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, FS Detroit, NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (23-28-7): Dylan Larkin will look to continue his torrid play on Saturday when he skates in his 300th NHL game. The 22-year-old Michigan native set up Athanasiou's first-period goal on Thursday against the Senators to give him 13 (six goals, seven assists) of his club-best 54 points in the last 11 contests. Larkin's 30 assists are three shy of team leader Gustav Nyquist, who set up rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski's power-play goal in the first meeting with Philadelphia.

ABOUT THE FLYERS (26-24-7): Jakub Voracek set up captain Claude Giroux's game-tying goal in the third period on Tuesday to extend his point streak to eight contests (three goals, seven assists) and provide a boost to Philadelphia's postseason aspirations in the process. "Once in a while, I look at the standings. You kind of know where you are if we win or if we lose, but more likely you look at how the other teams are playing," the 29-year-old Voracek said. "You can't afford to lose many games, that's for sure, but the way we are playing, we're pretty comfortable right now, we can sneak in somehow." Giroux, who set up van Riemsdyk's first-period tally versus Detroit in the first meeting, has recorded nine of his club-best 61 points (three goals, six assists) in his past seven games.

OVERTIME

1. Detroit G Jimmy Howard owns a 5-4-1 mark with one shutout, a 3.05 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in 10 career meetings with Philadelphia.

2. Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere, who has eight assists in his last nine contests, scored and set up a goal in the first encounter with the Red Wings.

3. Detroit LW Jacob De La Rose, who is mired in a 16-game point drought, scored in the first meeting with Philadelphia.

PREDICTION: Flyers 3, Red Wings 1