The Jakub Voracek Show: Previewing Arizona vs. Philly

Jakub Voracek graces Gila River Arena with his magic stick and terrible team

The Philadelphia Flyers have come scuttling into town on the wings of Jakub Voracek — and Coyotes fans, get ready for a fight.

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The Flyers are 14-15-6 over the season, which is only marginally better than the Coyotes in the sense that the Flyers have more overtime/SO losses than Arizona. They’re only one win ahead of the desert dogs, though, and that extra win for the ‘Yotes would push them up to twenty-sixth — a leap not many believed the Coyotes could make this season at all.

With a 6-2-2 record in their last ten games, the Flyers might be turning around their season; with an 8-3-2 record for Devan Dubnyk, though, Arizona is looking to do the same. If you were looking for a game with fists flying, this is probably one you shouldn’t miss.

Details for Monday night’s game:

DATE: Monday, December 29th
TIME: 7:00 P.M. (MST)
LOCATION: Glendale, Arizona
ARENA: Gila River Arena
TV INFO: Fox Sports AZ, CSNP

Projected Line Combinations:

Forwards:
Mikkel Boedker – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan
Martin Erat – Martin Hanzal – Sam Gagner 
Tobias Rieder – Kyle Chipchura – David Moss
Brandon McMillan – Joe Vitale – Lauri Korpikoski
*Tyler Gaudet slotted as extra skater, could fit in lineup

Defense: 
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
Keith Yandle – Michael Stone
Brandon Gormley – Connor Murphy
Extra Skater: David Schlemko, Chris Summers out with injury

Goal: Devan Dubnyk

Things You Should Know:

• David Schlemko seems to be sticking around as the extra defenseman, but he’s been kept on the team on an emergency recall basis due to the rotating injuries on the blue line. Arizona fans should be excited by what the defensive corps has to offer if Schlemko is no longer needed on the ice — he’s been significantly improving his play, so the team’s blue line is rock-solid if he’s in the press box. Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley are shaping up to be two more elite defensemen — keep an eye on the blue line.
• Devan Dubnyk is starting in goal across from Steve Mason, most likely as a precaution due to a strong scoring arsenal on Philadelphia’s roster. What they lack in depth and legitimate NHL defensemen, they make up for in Jakub Voracek — fourteen goals and thirty-two assists put him miles above anyone Arizona offers on offense. It’ll take a bit to shut down Philly’s scoring, and that means starting the stronger goaltender.
• Tyler Gaudet is up from the AHL, and could fill in for someone like Lauri Korpikoski (who’s been battling injuries) or even Kyle Chipchura. Gaudet is a hard-working, smaller-statured natural center, but he slots in just about anywhere you put him; his versatility on the ice and strong work ethic bring a lot to the table. He won’t be a top-six scorer any time soon, but his sheer determination to get things done could easily put him on the team long-term.
• The Flyers may be here to play, but don’t rule out observations by Philadelphia’s front office of some of Arizona’s blue line chips and two-way players — the Flyers have struggled to assemble a strong roster as of late, and they’re looking to have some salary eaten moving forward. The Coyotes are hopefully finishing up the deal with Barroway, which could mean marginal flexibility in the trade rooms — and if any team could come knocking, Philadelphia is it.
• Philadelphia holds a 43-25-1 record against the Coyotes over the course of Arizona’s franchise history, but don’t underestimate the Coyotes as they look to earn a third consecutive win.

While the Game is On:

Although this is a game you should be glued to, don’t forget to keep your eye on that Twitter feed for two specific reasons:

First, Max Domi is facing off against Team Finland tonight, as Team Canada heads into game three at the Bell Centre. He has two goals and an assist in two games (for those who don’t math, that’s 1.5 PPG) and sits at a pleasant +3 on the tournament — not to mention he’s been talked about as one of the most dynamic players in the entire WJC. We’ll keep you updated on the fun things he does after the Coyotes-Flyers game has come to a close.

Second, the league is finally coming to a decision on the Andrew Barroway situation. There’s been plenty of talk in either direction about the potential majority owner sale to Barroway — which has been signed at three times the estimated valuation for the franchise and would eliminate essentially the entire privately-funded loan used to purchase the team last season — but the team hopes that finally putting the vote into action and squaring away the sale will change that.

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