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Ducks-Flyers Preview

Oct 21, 2010 - 3:35 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Anaheim (2-3-1) at Philadelphia (2-2-1), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Philadelphia Flyers have spent much of their four-day break working on a power play that has created few quality chances.

Their next opponent is having trouble scoring any type of goal on the road.

The Flyers continue their five-game homestand Thursday night when they try to hand the Anaheim Ducks a fifth straight road loss to start the season.

Philadelphia (2-2-1) has not played since losing its second straight, 5-1 to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Danny Briere gave the Flyers the lead with a power-play goal in the first period, but they came up empty on their final four opportunities and are 2 for 22 with the man advantage for the season.

"Our power play has been struggling so we're trying to put more pucks on the net and creating more opportunity," Briere said.

The Flyers have 11 goals in five games, including three in consecutive losses. Mike Richards, second on the team with 31 goals a season ago, has yet to score.

"We're not scoring a lot of goals right now," coach Peter Laviolette said. "We have to do a better job in the battles for the puck. I'm not happy with where we are offensively as a group. We have to generate more."

It's a similar lament to what Anaheim (2-4-1) is saying after another poor effort on the road. The Ducks have been outscored 16-3 in losing all four road games, falling 3-1 at Columbus on Wednesday.

Anaheim went 0 for 5 on the power play and is 1 for 13 away from home this season. Teemu Selanne's 609th career goal was all the Ducks mustered.

"The power play wasn't effective tonight," center Ryan Getzlaf said. "Those things kill you in games. You have to win those special teams' battles."

Getzlaf has been a different player at home and on the road. He has two goals and six assists in three home games, but is still searching for his first point away from the Honda Center.

Both teams are among the league leaders in penalties with Anaheim short-handed 37 times and Philadelphia 31. The Flyers were forced to the penalty kill eight times Saturday.

"Penalties are avoidable," Laviolette said. "It taxes the penalty killers. It taxes the defensemen. We're not scoring five-on-five, and that doesn't help, but now we're on defense again. That's not good enough. We have to be more disciplined."

Laviolette has not announced who will start in goal. Rookie Sergei Bobrovsky is 2-1-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average in his three starts while Brian Boucher is 0-1-1 with a 2.50 GAA in his two.

Jonas Hiller has started all seven games for Anaheim, and is 1-1-0 with a 2.42 GAA in two career starts against Philadelphia. Backup Curtis McElhinney has never faced the Flyers.

Philadelphia has five wins, one overtime loss and one shootout loss since its last regulation loss to the Ducks, 5-4 on Feb. 6, 2002.