Game Day Preview: Flyers vs. Stars
After ample rest from a whirlwind road trip sweep, the Flyers are back on home ice.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports - Game Day Preview: Flyers vs. StarsThe Flyers enjoyed a successful—but undoubtedly exhausting—road trip over the last four days, triumphing over the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, and St. Louis Blues. After a well-earned two days' rest, they will be back in action on home ice against the Dallas Stars.
The lineup against the Stars is a bit up in the air as of publishing this. Neither Sean Couturier or Jamie Drysdale—who both missed the games against the Jets and Blues with a minor injury and illness, respectively—were seen participating in morning skate, and head coach John Tortorella refused to give any indication on how the team would line up against Dallas. He did say that Drysdale was feeling better, and it's known that the defenseman skated yesterday, but there are still plenty of question marks over whether or not he will suit up tonight. The defensive pairings rotated throughout morning skate, so there looks to be a fair amount of wiggle room with how the defense will look at game time.
Nick Deslauriers looked to be a fill-in for Couturier during morning skate, being put on the first line with Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny. Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee skated on the second line together, keeping many positive elements of the offense during the last three games going. After the incredible game those four players had against the Blues, it only makes sense to keep them in the combinations they can thrive in, especially when a key offensive player in Couturier is out for an unspecified amount of time.
Speaking on Frost's performance in most recent game, Tortorella said, "He created a lot of offense, made a lot of plays, and I think has been more consistent that way in creating offense. He needs to play away from the puck, but the biggest thing is I want him to play offense, and he's been more consistent that way."
However, the Flyers will face a formidable challenge against the Stars, as they have been on their own stretch of convincing wins. Victories over the Kings, Blackhawks, and Predators in their last three games have them rolling into Philadelphia on a high. The Stars' offense in particular has been excellent, but their defense has not been as much of a highlight. The Flyers could find themselves with plenty of open scoring opportunities, which will give fans a good idea of how much their finishing has improved.
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Tippett - Couturier (game day decision) - Konecny
Farabee - Frost - Atkinson
Foerster - Laughton - Hathaway
Cates - Poehling - Brink
Defense:
Sanheim - Drysdale (game day decision)
York - Walker
Seeler - Ristolainen
Ersson
Stars Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Robertson - Hintz - Johnston
Marchment - Duchene - Seguin
Benn - Steel - Pavelski
Smith - Faksa - Dadonov
Defense:
Suter - Lundkvist
Lindell - Hakanpaa
Harley - Hanley
Oettinger
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