Last game was one that the Philadelphia Flyers (5-8-1) were not expected to win.
Away in Tampa Bay, without Matvei Michkov and down to their third-string goalie, the Flyers showed incredible grit and effort by squeezing out the shootout win against the Lightning. It was a huge game for Ivan Fedotov, who stopped 22 shots and stood tall in the shootout for the Flyers en route to his first NHL win. Fedotov had a much-needed confidence boosting game, but he will back up Sam Ersson as he is now healthy and Aleksei Kolosov is still out with an injury.
The Flyers played a strong “Flyers-type” game in Tampa Bay and will have to match it tonight with the red-hot Panthers on the other side of the ice.
Michkov Will Not Draw Back In
John Tortorella sat a healthy Matvei Michkov in Tampa Bay, citing it as part of the process. The move was made in order to continue the development of Michkov through watching the game instead, and seeing it from another angle. The move divided the Flyers fanbase on social media but if you know Tortorella, you knew this move would be coming at some point. Michkov’s 5v5 play hasn’t been up to the Flyers’ standards as of late and if the coach doesn’t see improvement, that will happen.
The other end of the argument is since the Flyers are struggling and came out of the gate slow to start the season, why not keep Michkov on the ice to figure it out through playing rather than observing? Especially considering the Flyers’ hunger for offensive talent.
Both sides have their validity. But in the end, as long as Michkov is developed as an NHL player, the better for the Flyers’ future. Michkov however will sit again as the Flyers will ice the winning lineup from Tampa Bay sans Fedotov.
Ersson Returns To The Crease
Despite his performance on Thursday, Sam Ersson is back in the lineup after missing the last two games. The injuries to both Ersson and Kolosov shot Fedotov up temporarily to the top goalie spot on the depth chart and he responded very well in Tampa Bay. Fedotov struggled mightily to start the season and rightfully so lost his backup role to Kolosov who did look quicker and more sound, but also didn’t shock the world when taking over for Fedotov.
Number 82 stopped 22 shots vs the Lightning and then continued his strong outing in the shootout, enabling the Flyers to secure the win. Tonight, he will get to rest though as Ersson will be treated with a much harder challenge as he will have to contend with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Carter Verhaeghe.
The Panthers Are Hot
The defending champions have won their last 6 games. The Panthers have scored over 3 goals in 5 of those games as well. The odds are definitely stacked against the Flyers tonight as Florida has everything going for them right now. Center Sam Reinhart has been out of this world during the 6-game winning streak. Reinhart leads the team in points (22), goals (11) and assists (11) and is +13. He has potted 6 goals in his last 6 games and 10 points total in that stretch. He will prove to be a tough task to manage for the Flyers defense tonight.
The Panthers are also once again getting good goaltending from former Flyers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. He has posted a 2.97 GAA with a .891 SV% thus far with 7 wins. The Flyers have had their struggles this season but when it comes to offense, they are struggling mightily. The Flyers are averaging 2.5 goals per game and will face their former stud goaltender tonight. They will need to put a lot of pressure on Bobrovsky and pelt him with shots. Making him work and not letting him get comfortable early will be a key point for the Flyers tonight.
Keys To A Flyers Win
The Flyers are not an offensively-skilled team. Therefore, the Flyers need to keep playing a gritty, hard forechecking brand of hockey. As previously mentioned, the Flyers should focus on shooting and get pucks on net instead of trying to find that perfect shot.
Philadelphia also needs to possess the puck in the Panthers’ zone and wear their defense out, and don’t let Bobrovsky get comfortable either. There’s one Flyer that doesn’t need to be told to shoot, shoot, shoot and that’s Owen Tippett, who may have turned a corner recently. Tippett has scored in last 2 games and tends to be streaky. Keep an eye on Tippett tonight.
On the defensive side, the Flyers must make it difficult for the Panthers to enter their zone. Be competitive in the neutral zone and make the Panthers earn their entries. It also goes without saying, but Ersson also has to be stable in net tonight and keep his team competitive.
It will be a big challenge for the Flyers tonight in Florida. Let’s see if they are up to the task and we may be in for an exciting game.
When: 6:00pm ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena; Sunrise, FL
Broadcast Info: NBCSP; 97.5 The Fanatic
Last Game PHI: 11/7; 2-1 W at Tampa Bay Lightning
Last Game FLA: 11/7; 6-2 W vs. Nashville Predators
PHI Projected Lineup
#71 Tyson Foerster – #14 Sean Couturier – #11 Travis Konecny
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #10 Bobby Brink
#86 Joel Farabee – #21 Scott Laughton – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #27 Noah Cates – #90 Anthony Richard
#6 Travis Sanheim – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#36 Emil Andrae – #5 Egor Zamula
#33 Sam Ersson
(#82 Ivan Fedotov)
FLA Projected Lineup
#17 Evan Rodrigues – #16 Aleksander Barkov – #13 Sam Reinhart
#23 Carter Verhaeghe – #9 Sam Bennett – #19 Matthew Tkachuk
#27 Eetu Luostarinen – #15 Anton Lundell – #70 Jesper Boqvist
#10 A.J. Greer – #92 Tomáš Nosek – #12 Jonah Gadjovich
#42 Gustav Forsling – #5 Aaron Ekblad
#77 Niko Mikkola – #7 Dmitry Kulikov
#88 Nate Schmidt – #26 Uvis Balinskis
#72 Sergei Bobrovsky
(#30 Spencer Knight)
