The Philadelphia Flyers (2-5-1) earned their first win on home ice and in regulation yesterday versus the previously undefeated Minnesota Wild.
Not long ago, John Tortorella was steadfast regarding Travis Konecny as a right-wing. Ahead of the win versus the Wild, Konecny moved to the left wing, centered by Sean Couturier, with Matvei Michkov skating on the right. For now, it is safe to say Tortorella found his top line. Couturier notched his fourth career hat trick when the Flyers hosted Minnesota.
Tonight, the Montréal Canadiens visit Philadelphia. After the Flyers top line combined for five goals versus the Wild, the spotlight will remain on them to keep the momentum humming while hosting the Canadiens, who famously passed to Michkov, selecting David Reinbacher instead.
Michkov is a favorite for the 2024-2025 NHL Calder Trophy. However, Montréal brings a candidate into Philadelphia, too. Lane Hutson is a top-five candidate for the NHL Calder Trophy, and tonight presents a potential head-to-head opportunity at five-on-five between the rookies.
When: 7pm ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia; 97.5 The Fanatic
Last Game PHI: 10/26; 7-5 W vs. Minnesota Wild
Last Game MTL: 10/26; 5-2 W vs. St. Louis Blues
Philadelphia Flyers
Officially, Jett Luchanko will return to the OHL. Daniel Brière and Tortorella are on the same page regarding the roster move. Luchanko can step outside his comfort zone in the OHL, pressing his game well past his current boundaries. Additionally, Brière mentioned that Luchanko has a terrific opportunity to participate with Canada at the World Juniors.
“We think it’s the best thing for his [Luchanko] development. We’ve said it since day one. It’s not about how good Jett can be this year. It’s thinking three, five, seven years down the road. First of all, we didn’t expect him to stay in camp, coming into the camp, I didn’t think he had much of a chance to stay. He had a very good camp, he made us better, and that’s why he was in the lineup, but at the same time, we know where we are. It’s tough at times to be patient because you want to ice the best team possible right away, but we feel for his development, and to have the best Jett Luchanko, he needs to go play a lot of minutes, he needs to go learn to be the guy. He has a really good chance at playing for Team Canada at the World Juniors, that’s another amazing experience for him. The last three weeks, being here with the main team, was a great experience for him, but we realize that there’s more to it, and it’s important for him to play heavy minutes, be the guy, learn how to drive the offense, be a leader on his team. We’re not trying to create a fourth line center; we think he has more upside than that, and we want to give him the chance to become that player.” – Daniel Brière; 10/26/2024
Noah Cates will step into more ice time with Luchanko in the OHL. On his wing is Nicolas Deslauriers, who is logging quality, albeit limited, minutes on the ice. With an emphasis on checking, Deslauriers and Cates help on the fourth line, joined by a rotation of Tyson Foerster and Garnet Hathaway.
Alexei Kolosov will make his first NHL start for the Flyers. Ivan Fedotov has struggled immensely. Brière did not confirm the decision in his press conference but strongly hinted at roster changes after speaking about Luchanko at length. An accurate indication of Kolosov receiving his first NHL start was Cal Petersen taking to the ice for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In the AHL, Kolosov is 1-2-1 with an 87.5%SV and a 3.29GAA.
A nightmarish goaltending situation for Philadelphia means there is no risk in starting Kolosov in a backup role.
Brière did advise Cam York (upper body) will miss at least two weeks. Emil Andrae received a recall from the Phantoms in addition to Kolosov.
Projected Flyers Lineup
#11 Travis Konecny – #14 Sean Couturier – #39 Matvei Michkov
#74 Owen Tippett – #27 Noah Cates – #71 Tyson Foerster
#21 Scott Laughton – #25 Ryan Poehling – #86 Joel Farabee
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #48 Morgan Frost – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#6 Travis Sanheim – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#36 Emil Andrae – #77 Erik Johnson
#35 Alexei Kolosov
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Projected Canadiens Lineup (per Marc Dumont)
#13 Cole Caufield – #14 Nick Suzuki – #77 Kirby Dach
#40 Joel Armia – #15 Alex Newhook – #91 Oliver Kapanen
#17 Josh Anderson – #71 Jake Evans – #11 Brendan Gallagher
#55 Michael Pezzetta – #28 Christian Dvorak – #51 Emil Heineman
#8 Mike Matheson – #24 Logan Mailloux
#48 Lane Hutson – #58 David Savard
#47 Jayden Struble – #72 Arber Xhekaj
#30 Cayden Primeau
(#35 Samuel Montembeault)
