The Philadelphia Flyers will take on the second game in their back-to-back weekend, going up against another formidable opponent in the Florida Panthers.
The Philadelphia Flyers will take on the second game in their back-to-back weekend, going up against another formidable opponent in the Florida Panthers.
With their offense looking confident, and facing a Panthers team that is playing their second game in less than 24 hours could give the Flyers a boost as they look to build off their previous meeting against one of the best teams in the league, where the orange and black walked away with a 2-1 win.
New Kids On The Blue Line
With the injuries of Nick Seeler, Jamie Drysdale, and Rasmus Ristolainen, the Flyers' defense looked to be in a worrying state. Reinforcements, naturally, had to be called in, and Adam Ginning and Ronnie Attard were brought in from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to bolster the back line.
Both players had very little NHL experience before this, but have been showing immense improvement with every game they play together. Attard has even become emboldened to start getting involved on the offensive side of things as well. They've been a much-needed bright spot amongst the Flyers' defensive woes, and have been making a solid case to be seriously considered for a spot in the defensive pairings going forward.
TyFo Fever
Tyson Foerster has very much flown under the radar in the general conversation about the best NHL rookies, but that hasn't stopped him from having a doozy of a season so far. His goal against Boston moved him into third place on the list of rookie goalscorers this season (18 goals), behind only the Minnesota Wild's Marco Rossi (20 goals) and the Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Bedard (21 goals).
Foerster suits the Flyers perfectly, with a work rate and hard style of play that makes him an extremely effective part of the offense, and at 22 years old, is still moldable and full of potential to tap into. He can be an incredibly important play as they continue the season, and can become an absolute monster in the near future if he continues to climb.
No Sleep Till Philly!
The Flyers have been gifted the opportunity to take advantage of what will surely be a tired Panthers team, who played the New York Rangers last night with an 8 p.m. puck drop (and lost). While the commute between cities isn't the most strenuous thing in the world, it's still two games in less than 24 hours against two top Metro Division teams, and coming into this game off of a loss won't be much of a help for Florida either. The Flyers have proven that they can beat the Panthers, but they might have a bit of an easier time against a less-energized Florida side.
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Tippett - Frost- Konecny
Farabee - Laughton - Brink
Foerster - Poehling - Hathaway
Cates - Couturier - Lycksell
Defense:
York - Sanheim
Ginning - Attard
Zamula - Johnson
Starting Goalie:
Sandstrom
Panthers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Luostarinen - Lundell - Reinhart
Verhaeghe - Bennett - Tkachuk
Rodrigues - Stenlund - Tarasenko
Cousins - Lorentz - Lomberg
Defense:
Forsling - Ekman-Larsson
Mikkola - Montour
Mahura - Kulikov
Starting Goalie:
Stolarz
Make sure to bookmark THN's Philadelphia Flyers site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
'He's A Great Competitor': Flyers Highlight Travis Konecny's Importance In Playoff Push