After a furious third period charge fell just a bit short yesterday in Toronto, the Philadelphia Flyers continue their road trip tonight with a matchup against the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes, who are winners of seven straight and have not lost in regulation since November 23rd, have found their groove and are chugging along at an impressive rate. 2019 2nd overall pick Andrei Svechnikov paces the club with 17 goals, veteran blueliner Brent Burns leads the team in assists with 19, and Martin Nečas leads Carolina at almost a point-per-game pace with 31 in 33 contests.
While they have a strong nucleus of offensive talent up front, not to mention one of the most dangerous and threatening defensive cores in the league, they have been in led in goal by upstart rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Kochetkov was recalled from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on November 8th after Frederik Andersen went down with an injury and he hasn’t looked back since.
The 23-year-old Penza, Russia native has racked up a 10-1-4 record, .928 SV%, 1.94 GAA, and 3 shutouts in just 15 games so far. Among the league’s leaders, his wins have him tied for 15th, his save percentage is tied for 2nd, his goals against average is 2nd, and he’s tied for 1st in shutouts. He is on an absolute tear, but the Flyers will dodge a bullet as they get to face backup Antti Raanta. Raanta stopped 24 of 27 shots in an overtime win over Pittsburgh last night.
After Carter Hart started in yesterday’s affair against the Maple Leafs, the Flyers find themselves relying on Samuel Ersson to take the start tonight in Raleigh. Ersson is up with the Flyers while Felix Sandström is home with an illness, and Ersson will make his NHL debut tonight while his fellow Swede recovers.
Ersson has appeared in 18 games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, going 9-8-1 with a .910 SV% and 2.72 GAA as the starter in Allentown. He has adjusted to the North American professional game well and after missing most of last season with groin injuries that he underwent surgery for, his strong play and athleticism are on full display now and he is being rewarded tonight with his first ever NHL start.
PHI Record: 11-16-7, 29 pts, 7th in Metropolitan
CAR Record: 21-6-6, 48 pts, 1st in Metropolitan
Last Game PHI: 12/22/22, 4-3 L at Toronto
Last Game CAR: 12/22/22, 4-3 OTW at Pittsburgh
When: 7:00pm ET
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
PHI Goalie: Samuel Ersson (NHL DEBUT, 9-8-1, .910 SV%, 2.72 GAA, 0 SO with AHL Lehigh Valley)
CAR Goalie: Antti Raanta (6-2-2, .891 SV%, 2.77 GAA, 0 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup
#25 James van Riemsdyk – #48 Morgan Frost – #74 Owen Tippett
#86 Joel Farabee – #49 Noah Cates – #11 Travis Konecny
#13 Kevin Hayes – #21 Scott Laughton – #57 Wade Allison
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #38 Patrick Brown – #17 Zack MacEwen
#9 Ivan Provorov – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#45 Cam York – #61 Justin Braun
#6 Travis Sanheim – #77 Tony DeAngelo
#33 Samuel Ersson
#79 Carter Hart
CAR Projected Lineup
#37 Andrei Svechnikov – #26 Paul Stastny – #88 Martin Nečas
#86 Teuvo Teräväinen – #82 Jesperi Kotkaniemi – #24 Seth Jarvis
#48 Jordan Martinook – #11 Jordan Staal – #71 Jesper Fast
#23 Stefan Noesen – #18 Jack Drury – #21 Derek Stepan
#74 Jaccob Slavin – #8 Brent Burns
#76 Brady Skjei – #22 Brett Pesce
#44 Calvin de Haan – #5 Jalen Chatfield
#32 Antti Raanta
#52 Pyotr Kochetkov
PHI Injuries: Cam Atkinson (neck), Sean Couturier (back), Bobby Brink (hip), Ryan Ellis (hip), Felix Sandström (illness)
Scratches: Nick Seeler, Max Willman
CAR Injuries: Ondřej Kaše (concussion), Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Frederik Andersen (lower-body), Sebastian Aho* (lower-body)
*game-time decision
Scratched: Dylan Coghlan
News and Notes
– Sebastian Aho is a game-time decision for Carolina after missing the last seven games.
– Travis Konecny has registered four points (2g, 2a) in his last two games since being held off the scoresheet on December 17th.
– The Hurricanes defeated the Flyers in their last matchup, 4-3 in overtime back on October 29th in Philadelphia.
Broadcast Info: TV – NBC Sports Philadelphia+, Radio – 93.3 WMMR
