Game Day Preview: Flyers vs. Bruins
The Flyers will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak as they head back to home ice.
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports - Game Day Preview: Flyers vs. BruinsThe Flyers are still looking for a win to put an end to an incredibly frustrating losing streak, and they'll be hoping they can get it on home ice against the Boston Bruins.
It's been another chaotic week in Flyersland—the bad news being Carter Hart taking an indefinite leave of absence and possibly being involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault; the uplifting news being both Owen Tippett and Ryan Poehling have signed new deals with the Flyers, with fans anticipating more extensions coming soon. Not to mention that they dropped the design for their 2024 Stadium Series jersey, and people had a generally positive reaction to it—not an easy feat when it comes to specialty jerseys.
Despite the losing streak, the Flyers have been enjoying a major uptick in performance from several players. Joel Farabee has already reached a new career 40 point total for the season so far (17 goals, 23 assists), while Morgan Frost continues to impress with one goal and eight assists in his last 10 games. Jamie Drysdale is adjusting seamlessly to the Flyers' defensive system, while Sam Ersson looks prepared to take over the No. 1 goalie role while Hart is out of the team.
The Flyers come into this game off of a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings—their second shutout loss of the season—while the Bruins have fared better, most recently beating the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime. Their top performers include Brad Marchand (24 goals, 23 assists) and David Pastrnak (7 goals, 7 assists). Former Flyer James van Riemsdyk will also be making his return to the Wells Fargo Center, where he spent seven years in the orange and black.
For a game like this, the Flyers will be looking for a win more than anything. It doesn't have to be pretty, it doesn't have to be neat, it doesn't have to be a masterclass performance—it just needs to be a win to get their confidence back up. Strangely enough, they've struggled to win at home as much as they have on the road: 11-11-2 at home, 14-7-4 on the road.
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Cates - Couturier - Konecny
Farabee - Frost - Atkinson
Foerster - Lycksell - Poehling
Laughton - Hathaway
Defense:
Sanheim - Drysdale
Seeler - Walker
York - Ristolainen
Ersson
Bruins Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Marchand - Coyle - Pastrnak
van Riemsdyk - Zacha - DeBrusk
Boqvist - Geekie - Frederic
Heinen - Poitras - Steen
Defense:
Grzelcyk - McAvoy
Lindholm - Carlo
Forbort - Wotherspoon
Ullmark