The Flyers and Wild share quite a few notable connections.
After a short road trip out west, the Philadelphia Flyers are back on Broad Street for a four-game homestand at Wells Fargo Center, starting with a tilt against the Minnesota Wild.
The Flyers are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in which they allowed the game-winner with 31.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Minnesota, however, is riding high after netting seven goals in a home win against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flyers are earned a 5-4 shootout victory in their last meeting with the Wild and have an all-time record of 17-10-1-2 against Minnesota.
Here's everything to know going into the late night tilt.
How to watch
When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
TV: ESPN+, Hulu
What to watch
1. Defenseman Emil Andrae has been sent down to Lehigh Valley after a rough four-game stretch to start his NHL career. Replacing him in the lineup will be 27-year-old blueliner Louie Belpedio, who has logged one point in five games with the Phantoms to start the season. Belpedio is what he is at this stage — a solid AHL defenseman who can play occasional NHL minutes if necessary. He'll be appearing in his first NHL game since the 2020-21 season, and it comes against his former team.
2. Belpedio is one of several current Flyers with connections to Minnesota. Belpedio, Nic Deslauriers and Nick Seeler each played for the Wild while Bobby Brink, Noah Cates and Ryan Poehling were all born in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Wild will also be icing Ryan Hartman, who briefly played for the Flyers at the end of the 2018-19 season. Hartman is coming off a three-goal, five-point performance.
3. The season is still very young, but at this exact moment, the Flyers are on pace to finish the campaign with the NHL's worst power play for the third consecutive season. Through six games, the Flyers have converted on just one power play out of 20 attempts, which is downright horrible. If there was ever an ideal time for the power play to kick into high gear, Thursday night would be it. Especially with Minnesota's high-powered offense in town.