Riley Sheahan

Red Wings brace for Schenn, red-hot Flyers (Dec 11, 2016)

Published Dec. 10, 2016 9:04 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- The Philadelphia Flyers are on an eight-game winning streak going into Sunday's game against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

The Flyers are 17-10-3 after beating the Dallas Stars 4-2 at home on Saturday afternoon. The Red Wings are 13-12-3 after a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Friday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Brayden Schenn recorded his second career hat trick - all on the power play - for Philadelphia on Saturday.

"Look who's up top," Schenn said, crediting Jakub Voracek, captain Claude Giroux and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Mark Streit for setting up his goals. "Those (guys) make it happen up top and me and (Wayne Simmonds) find the garbage or the rebounds or the tips."

Steve Mason made 21 saves for Philadelphia, which has won eight straight for the first time since Jan. 6-19, 2002.

Voracek added an empty-net goal. He has four goals and 15 points during the eight-game winning streak.

Schenn talked about his performance as it relates to the team's winning streak.

"It's always nice scoring goals and stuff like that," he said. "When it comes in a winning effort, coming from behind again, it's nice and helped keep the streak going."

Gostisbehere said his right hand was OK after getting hit by defenseman Jordie Benn's shot at 7:58 of the second period. He didn't play in the final 4:54 of the third period and said he had X-rays, which were precautionary.

Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said his team has to create more traffic around the opponent's net.

"We have to be a team that plays up the ice as fast as we can," Blashill told www.mlive.com. "We're becoming a better O-zone team, so if we get pucks behind people and play in the other team's end we have a better chance to produce more offense.

"We have to be more determined to get to the net and put pucks to the net. I still think we pass up shots to try to make plays and we just have to understand that it's going to be lots of shots."

Gustav Nyquist and Riley Sheahan, in particular, have been struggling around the net. Nyquist has just one goal in the past 22 games and Sheahan hasn't scored a goal this season in 28 contests.

The Red Wings and Flyers split a pair of games in Philadelphia six days apart in early November - the Flyers won 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 2, and the Red Wings won 3-2 in a shootout, snapping a 12-game regular-season losing streak in Philadelphia that dated back to 1997.

This will be the second of a season-long five game homestand for Detroit.

The Red Wings are 2-7-2 in their past 11 at Joe Louis Arena and 6-7-2 for the season.

"We've got to establish a little better home ice here," Thomas Vanek said. "We're struggling on home ice. We've just got to get some momentum early, get the fans behind us and keep that momentum going."