Scott Laughton returns to Flyers’ lineup against Kings; Brian Elliott back in nets
Scott Laughton will return to the Flyers' lineup Tuesday in Los Angeles and is expected to center the third line.
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LOS ANGELES – After sitting out seven games because of a groin injury, forward Scott Laughton will return to the Flyers’ lineup Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
At practice Tuesday morning, Laughton centered Michael Raffl and Tyler Pitlick on the third line.
Brian Elliott, coming off a 2-1 overtime win in Anaheim, will make his second straight start.
Elliott in 7-3 on the road, where he has won six of his last seven appearances. Carter Hart is 2-7-1 on the road.
The Flyers are 1-1 on their season-high six-game road trip.
In franchise history, the Flyers are 9-6-2-2 in New Year’s Eve games, including a 9-1 win over the visiting Kings in 1967, the teams’ first year in the NHL.
Both teams are going in different directions. The Flyers have won five of their last six, while the Kings have lost four of their last five.
In their last 10 games at the Staples Center, the Flyers are 7-2-1.
Former Flyer Jeff Carter, who turns 35 on Wednesday, has 12 goals and is minus-10 this season for the Kings. Carter has 377 career goals.
In 2011, the Flyers traded Carter to Columbus for Jake Voracek and a first-round draft pick that turned out to be Sean Couturier. Yes, that trade has worked out well for the Flyers.
Couturier is the Flyers’ best all-around player. Voracek collected his 370th assist with Philadelphia in Sunday’s win, passing legendary Flyers Eric Lindros and Rick MacLeish for sixth place on the franchise’s all-time list.