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The Golden Knights had a welcome addition to Friday’s morning skate: center Jack Eichel.
The Knights’ leading scorer practiced with his teammates ahead of a matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury. Coach Bruce Cassidy said it will be a game-time decision whether Eichel will play.
“It’s good to see him out there,” said Cassidy, who added Eichel and the Knights’ medical team will have the final say. “It’s a real positive. He’s obviously very close.”
Eichel leads the Knights in goals (13) and points (29). The team has scored four goals in the last two games without him.
The Knights need to bounce back at home whether Eichel is available or not. They have lost three straight at T-Mobile Arena while being outscored 14-4. Their last game was a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers.
“We just got to figure out ourselves right now,” defenseman Nic Hague said. “We have to find our game. Execute plays better, finish plays, be a little bit harder, manage the puck in certain areas.”
The Flyers come to T-Mobile Arena with a 2-10-3 record their last 15 games. They are last in the NHL in goals per game (2.41). Cassidy is still expecting Philadelphia to compete under first-year coach John Tortorella.
“They’re a very structured defensive team,” Cassidy said. “I’ve played against some Torts teams in the past. They’re going to make it hard on you. Nothing’s easy.”
Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, who is tied for the NHL lead with 20 appearances, is expected to start Friday. He’s 8-8-4 with a .911 save percentage and 2.79 goals-against average.
Knights backup Adin Hill is projected to be in the other net. Hill is 6-2-1 with a .908 save percentage and 2.55 goals-against average. He stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced Dec. 3 against Detroit his last time out for his first win in four starts.
Knights vs. Flyers (7 p.m.)
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Knights -255, total 6
Knights record: 19-8-1
Flyers record: 9-13-5
Head-to-head: 0-0-0 (Knights 0-2-0 last season)
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
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