Wild-Philadelphia game preview
December 2, 2013 at 4:52AM
Players to watch: C Mikko Koivu and LW Zach Parise combined for 10 goals and 28 points in the month of November, including five game-winning or game-tying goals in the last five minutes of regulation. F Charlie Coyle has no goals in the past eight games and has lost 27 off 33 faceoffs in the past three games he has played center. Despite only four goals in 26 games, C Claude Giroux leads the Flyers with 18 points. C Vincent Lecavalier leads with nine goals, and RW Matt Read, a former Bemidji State standout, is second with eight goals.
Numbers: The Wild has been scored on first in seven straight games and has fallen behind 2-0 in the past four games. … The Wild has drawn 29 power plays in the past 11 games (2.6 a game) and 20 in the past nine (2.2 a game). … The Flyers rank 27th in the NHL at 2.15 goals per game, the Wild 23rd at 2.32. … The Flyers' power play ranks 23rd at 15.2 percent, the Wild's penalty kill ranks 25th at 78.5 percent.
Injuries: Wild C Mikael Granlund (concussion) and C Zenon Konopka (eye) are questionable. The Flyers have no injuries.
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Daemon Hunt was assigned to Iowa and Ben Jones was placed on waivers, leaving the Wild roster at 27 with four of those players injured.
