After a disappointing 2-1 shootout loss to the Blues on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers are back in action this evening, this time facing a much more challenging opponent in the league-leading Florida Panthers.
Samuel Ersson turned aside 24 St. Louis shots, allowing a goal to former Flyer Kevin Hayes, who ended a 19-game scoring drought.
This will be the first game as a Panther for the newly acquired Vladimir Tarasenko. The former Senator was traded from Ottawa to South Florida in exchange for a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick. Tarasenko is better known for his time in St. Louis while spending a small portion of his career with the New York Rangers just last season.
Streaking Cats
The Panthers became the first team this season to hit the 90-point mark. They’ve gone streaking as of late, winning six straight contests and have victories in nine of their last 10. Florida’s been able to defend their home turf, going 20-8-2, the second-best home record in the Eastern Conference.
Aside from trading for Tarasenko, the Panthers locked up veteran defenseman Gustav Forsling to an eight-year extension beginning next season. Forsling has garnered 31 points off of nine goals and 22 assists this season.
Another key factor to the Panthers’ success is the goaltending tandem of former Flyers goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
Bobrovsky earned his fourth shutout of the season on March 2nd in Detroit, stopping all 21 shots he faced. On the season, Bob is 17-2-1 in his last 21 contests, tied for first in the NHL in wins over that span.
Stolarz, on the other hand, has earned victories in each of his last four games. The Edison, New Jersey, native leads all goaltenders with at least 10 road games played with a .935 save percentage and a 1.76 goals-against average. On the year, Stolie the Goalie is 12-5-2.
The man-advantage for Florida ranks fifth in the league at 26.5%, going 56-for-211, yielding eight shorthanded tallies.
The Panthers’ penalty killing unit sits seventh in the NHL at 81.9% with opponents going 38-for-210 on the power play, scoring five shorthanded goals.
THE RETURN OF (T)HE (K)ING
What seemed like several months of absence from the team, Travis Konecny is back.
The Flyers leader in goals and points is back in the lineup after missing the last six games due to an upper body injury he suffered in practice on Feb. 23.
This season has been one of the best for TK. He’s recorded 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points.
Flyers Special Teams
All year, the Flyers’ penalty kill has been a complete success. Entering tonight’s tilt with the Blues, Philadelphia’s penalty kill ranks first in the NHL at 86.5% with opposing power plays going 27-for-197. The Flyers have tallied a league-leading 14 shorthanded goals.
The Flyers’ power play should definitely take a page out of their PK.
Philly’s power play ranks last in the league at 12.9% going 26-for-201. It has allowed three shorthanded goals, though the power play has seen some improvement since the start of 2024. Over the past 26 games, the Flyers’ man-advantage has jumped 16.5%.
Flyer to Watch
I think TK picks up right where he left off before the injury. Look for Konecny to pick up a pair of points tonight against the red hot Panthers.
Keys to Success
This will be one of the Flyers most difficult opponents in the last quarter of the season. After playing tonight, they’ll visit the Lightning before returning home to host the Sharks. After the San Jose game, Philly will begin a seven-game gauntlet against some of the top teams in the league including the Maple Leafs, Bruins, Rangers, Panthers and Hurricanes.
PHI Record: 32-23-8, 72 pts, 3rd in Metropolitan
FLA Record: 43-16-4, 90 pts, 1st in Atlantic
When: 7:00pm ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia, 97.5 The Fanatic
Last Game PHI: 3/4/24, 2-1 SOL vs. St. Louis
Last Game FLA: 3/5/24, 5-3 W at New Jersey
PHI Goalie: Samuel Ersson (17-12-5, .899 SV%, 2.57 GAA, 3 SO)
FLA Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky (31-11-2, .918 SV%, 2.29 GAA, 4 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup
#86 Joel Farabee – #21 Scott Laughton – #71 Tyson Foerster
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #11 Travis Konecny
#27 Noah Cates – #25 Ryan Poehling – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #14 Sean Couturier – #89 Cam Atkinson
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#5 Egor Zamula – #18 Marc Staal
#50 Adam Ginning – #23 Ronnie Attard
#33 Samuel Ersson
#32 Felix Sandström
Scratches: #10 Bobby Brink, #62 Olle Lycksell
Injuries: #9 Jamie Drysdale, #24 Nick Seeler, #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
FLA Projected Lineup
#10 Vladimir Tarasenko – #16 Aleksander Barkov – #13 Sam Reinhart
#23 Carter Verhaeghe – #9 Sam Bennett – #19 Matthew Tkachuk
#27 Eetu Luostarinen – #15 Anton Lundell – #17 Evan Rodrigues
#21 Nick Cousins – #82 Kevin Stenlund – #94 Ryan Lomberg
#42 Gustav Forsling – #5 Aaron Ekblad
#77 Niko Mikkola – #62 Brandon Montour
#91 Oliver Ekman-Larsson – #7 Dmitry Kulikov
#72 Sergei Bobrovsky
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Scratches: #12 Jonah Gadjovich, #18 Steven Lorentz, #28 Josh Mahura
Injuries: None
News and Notes
– Last time these two faced off, the Flyers took a 2-1 victory in their first game out of the All-Star break, with Noah Cates and Travis Konecny each potting a goal. Samuel Ersson notched 20 saves.
– Betting Odds: Flyers +200 ML, Panthers -245 ML, O/U 6 Goals.
– All-time, the Flyers are 59-43 against Florida with 7 ties and six overtime losses.
– The Flyers traded Sean Walker to Colorado while extending Nick Seeler to a four-year, $10.8 million contract. They also acquired a 2024 fifth-round pick for brokering the Noah Hanifin trade to Vegas as we approach the trade deadline.
Union Forge Vodka proudly serves as the Official Vodka of Flyers Nation. This partnership celebrates the unyielding spirit of Flyers fans and offers a quality spirit that perfectly compliments the team’s essence. Whether celebrating victories or showing resilience, Union Forge Vodka embodies the winning spirit of both the Flyers and their dedicated fans. Stay connected with exciting giveaways by following @unionforge and @flyersnation across all social media and platforms.
