After a game that saw 13 combined goals between the Keystone State rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers look to end a three-game losing streak as they welcome the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning to the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday evening.
The Flyers lost a heartbreaking contest on Sunday afternoon, falling 7-6 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in a game where Penguins captain Sidney Crosby‘s four-point affair put him first all-time in goals, assists and points against the Flyers. With that stat, Crosby also has the most points in NHL history against a singular franchise.
Scouting the Bolts
The 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champions look a tad different from their back-to-back Cup days just a few years ago, but still have some lethal assets to their squad.
Nikita Kucherov is having himself an MVP-caliber season while Steven Stamkos is still producing at 34 years old.
Kucherov became the first player this season to hit the 100-point mark after a four-point performance on Saturday against the Devils. The Maykop, Russia, native has torched the Flyers ever since he entered the league in 2011, potting 29 points in 24 games against the Orange and Black.
Tampa Bay’s power play has been a killer this season, scoring 53 power play goals on 181 chances, good for 29.3%.
The Bolts’ penalty killing ranks 13th in the NHL at an 80.4%, scoring two shorthanded goals, one each by Tyler Motte and Luke Glendening.
Injury Bug Hits Philly
Two words you hate to hear as a sports fan are “injury bug”. Unfortunately, that’s something the Flyers are going through as the calendar flips to March.
Leading scorer Travis Konecny has missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury that occurred during practice last week. With the absence of Konecny, Bobby Brink has been recalled after lighting it up with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording an overtime goal this past weekend.
A big part of the Flyers’ young core will be out for a few weeks in Jamie Drysdale. A collision on Sunday with Penguins forward Jansen Harkins took Drysdale out of the game as he held his left shoulder. Drysdale has already had an injury with his left shoulder, tearing his labrum that ended his season last year.
Rasmus Ristolainen also remains out week-to-week with an upper body injury.
Luckily, the Flyers’ penalty kill has been very successful this season. After giving up two PPGs to the Penguins on four chances, the Flyers dropped to second on the PK at 86.1% and will go against the best power play in the NHL. Philly also notched their league-leading 14th shorthanded goal of the season.
Although they have a very good penalty killing unit, the Flyers’ power play has struggled. Ranking 31st, the power play sits at 13.3%, scoring 24 goals on 180 attempts. They’ve also allowed three shorthanded goals this year.
Flyer to Watch
I’m taking a look at Bobby Brink this evening. Brink’s been down in Lehigh Valley and completely torn it up in his stint with the Phantoms. In the NHL this year, Brink has 18 points off of seven goals and 11 assists. Look for Bobby to make a splash in his return to Philly.
PHI Record: 30-22-7, 67 pts, 3rd in Metropolitan
TBL Record: 32-23-5, 69 pts, 5th in Atlantic
When: 7:00pm ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia, 93.3 WMMR
Last Game PHI: 2/25/24, 7-6 L at Pittsburgh
Last Game TBL: 2/25/24, 4-1 W at New Jersey
PHI Goalie: Samuel Ersson (16-11-4, .900 SV%, 2.56 GAA, 3 SO)
TBL Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy (20-14-0, .897 SV%, 2.95 GAA, 1 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup
#86 Joel Farabee – #48 Morgan Frost – #10 Bobby Brink
#71 Tyson Foerster – #14 Sean Couturier – #62 Olle Lycksell
#74 Owen Tippett – #21 Scott Laughton – #89 Cam Atkinson
#27 Noah Cates – #25 Ryan Poehling – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #26 Sean Walker
#5 Egor Zamula – #18 Marc Staal
#33 Samuel Ersson
#40 Cal Petersen
Scratches: #44 Nicolas Deslauriers
Injuries: #9 Jamie Drysdale, #11 Travis Konecny, #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
TBL Projected Lineup
#38 Brandon Hagel – #21 Brayden Point – #86 Nikita Kucherov
#91 Steven Stamkos – #20 Nick Paul – #73 Conor Sheary
#23 Michael Eyssimont – #71 Anthony Cirelli – #41 Mitchell Chaffee
#11 Luke Glendening – #64 Tyler Motte
#77 Victor Hedman – #43 Darren Raddysh
#44 Calvin de Haan – #81 Erik Černák
#78 Emil Martinsen Lilleberg – #48 Nick Perbix
#88 Andrei Vasilevskiy
#31 Jonas Johansson
Scratches: #51 Austin Watson
Injuries: #7 Haydn Fleury, #84 Tanner Jeannot, #98 Mikhail Sergachev
News and Notes
– The Flyers have lost eight consecutive home games against the Lightning.
– Betting Odds: Lightning -135, Flyers +114, O/U 6 Goals.
– All-time, the Flyers are 48-53 against Tampa Bay with eight ties and seven overtime losses.
– Samuel Ersson heads back in net after not starting against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
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 platforms.
