The Philadelphia Flyers hit the road this weekend for back-to-back away games, starting with the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
The Philadelphia Flyers hit the road this weekend for back-to-back away games, starting with the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
The Flyers are still holding on to third place in the Metropolitan Division, but wins are more necessary than ever in this last stretch. With the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders still close behind, the Flyers need to hold on for dear life while they're still in the driver's seat.
Fedotov's First NHL Start
Head coach John Tortorella confirmed that Ivan Fedotov will get his first NHL start against the Sabres, after the Russian goalie played two periods against the New York Islanders, replacing starter Sam Ersson.
Fedotov thoroughly impressed viewers (even by doing as little as just standing in front of the net), and made an excellent case as to why he can be trusted to play in more games and give Ersson some well-deserved rest.
Recording a 3.08 GAA and a .905 SV% against the Islanders, along with showing off his puck handling and sheer physical imposition, Fedotov looked like an NHL regular in net. He said that "it doesn't matter if I play from the beginning or during the game...[he's] always ready."
Reset On The Road
It was pretty universally agreed upon that this road trip couldn't have happened at a better time for the Flyers.
"It's kind of a reset," Morgan Frost said on Wednesday. "We kind of talked as a team, and obviously things haven't been going the way we want, but we're in a good spot still and all that matters is the next game. We should be confident in our ability to do well in these games."
The Flyers are currently 17-13-7 on the road, and only hold a slightly better home record at 19-16-4. They've proven that they can play well away from home, and it sounds like a change of scenery could be an important part of shaking off their losing streak and getting a fresh attempt at their playoff push.
No Captain Coots (Again)
After sustaining a shoulder injury against the Islanders on Monday, it was confirmed that Flyers captain Sean Couturier would miss at least the games against Buffalo and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It will be another scenario where the team's alternate captains, Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny, will need to step up and fill in that leadership role until Couturier is cleared to play again (there is currently no specific timeline for his recovery; he is listed as day-to-day for now).
Losing Couturier for at least two games not long after his healthy scratch debacle is definitely a blow for the Flyers, but it will be yet another chance to show their resiliency and adaptability. Many of their players—especially the young ones—have risen to the challenges this season has presented the Flyers, and the consistency of their ability to roll with the punches will be put to the test.
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Tyson Foerster - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Scott Laughton - Bobby Brink
Olle Lycksell - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Joel Farabee - Noah Cates - Cam Atkinson
Defense:
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula - Erik Johnson
Starting Goalie:
Ivan Fedotov
Sabres Projected Lines:
Forwards:
JJ Peterka - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Zach Benson - Dylan Cozens - Jack Quinn
Jeff Skinner - Peyton Krebs - Lukas Rousek
Eric Robinson - Zemgus Girgensons - Victor Olofsson
Defense:
Owen Power - Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram - Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson - Connor Clifton
Starting Goalie:
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
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Sean Couturier Set To Miss Next Two Flyers Games