The Philadelphia Flyers enter tonight’s contest on a 7-game point streak (5-0-2), and will look to make it 8 with a season sweep of the visiting Buffalo Sabres.
The Flyers defeated the Sabres on January 9th at KeyBank Center behind Samuel Ersson’s first NHL shutout, and then they took care of business again at Wells Fargo Center by a score of 5-2 behind Owen Tippett’s first NHL hat trick on March 17th, just over 2 weeks ago.
Before the puck drops, the Flyers will be honoring longtime broadcaster Steve Coates, as he is retiring from broadcasting after 43 years. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats at 6:30pm ET and the ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm ET.
When the puck does drop, the Flyers will be getting a key factor in their lineup back. Travis Konecny returns to the Philadelphia lineup after missing the previous 16 games with an injury. Konecny, despite missing all that time, still leads the Flyers in goals (27) and points (54).
Tonight is also Autism Awareness Night at Wells Fargo Center. Fans who purchased a ticket package for this special occasion will receive Gritty-themed fidget poppers. For this writer, Autism Awareness Night is very special and important to me given that I am on the spectrum, and tonight will be a night of fun and celebration.
Tonight will be a jam-packed evening at Wells Fargo Center, and the cherry on top could be another Flyers victory against a desperate Sabres club on the verge of a playoff berth.
PHI Record: 29-32-13, 71 pts, 7th in Metropolitan
BUF Record: 36-31-6, 79 pts, 5th in Atlantic
Last Game PHI: 3/30/23, 5-4 OTL at Ottawa
Last Game BUF: 3/31/23, 3-2 OTW vs. NY Rangers
When: 7:00PM ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
PHI Goalie: Felix Sandström (2-10-3, .887 SV%, 3.48 GAA, 0 SO)
BUF Goalie: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (16-11-4, .890 SV%, 3.63 GAA, 0 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup
#86 Joel Farabee – #49 Noah Cates – #74 Owen Tippett
#25 James van Riemsdyk – #13 Kevin Hayes – #11 Travis Konecny
#22 Brendan Lemieux – #48 Morgan Frost – #57 Wade Allison
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #21 Scott Laughton
#9 Ivan Provorov – #45 Cam York
#6 Travis Sanheim – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#24 Nick Seeler – #77 Tony DeAngelo
#61 Justin Braun
#32 Felix Sandström
#33 Samuel Ersson
BUF Projected Lineup
#53 Jeff Skinner – #37 Casey Mittelstadt – #89 Alex Tuch
#77 J.J. Peterka – #24 Dylan Cozens – #22 Jack Quinn
#12 Jordan Greenway – #17 Tyson Jost – #71 Victor Olofsson
#28 Zemgus Girgensons – #19 Peyton Krebs – #21 Kyle Okposo
#23 Mattias Samuelsson – #26 Rasmus Dahlin
#25 Owen Power – #10 Henri Jokiharju
#61 Riley Stillman – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin
#1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
#31 Eric Comrie
PHI Injuries: Sean Couturier (back), Ryan Ellis (hip), Cam Atkinson (neck), Carter Hart (lower-body)
Scratches: Kieffer Bellows, Tanner Laczynski
BUF Injuries: Tage Thompson (upper-body), Craig Anderson (upper-body)
Scratches: Vinnie Hinostroza, Kale Clague, Devon Levi, Jacob Bryson
News and Notes
– While Travis Konecny is returning, Sean Couturier has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will continue to prepare for the 2023-24 season.
– Felix Sandström starts in goal for the third straight game for Philadelphia. Samuel Ersson is backing up on an emergency basis again with Carter Hart’s injury.
– Owen Tippett is currently riding a 3-game point streak (2g, 1a) and will look to continue his success against a Buffalo team he dominated against back on St. Patrick’s Day.
Broadcast Info: TV – NBC Sports Philadelphia, Radio – 97.5 The Fanatic
