The Philadelphia Flyers (1-1-1) look to end their 4-game road trip in Seattle tonight with a win against the Kraken (2-2-0).
The Flyers are coming off an overtime loss against an Edmonton team that at the time was looking for its first win. It was thought that with the Oilers looking for their first point, they would jump out of the gate and put pressure on the Flyers early. It turned out to be the opposite as the Flyers put up 2 early goals thanks to rookie sensation Matvei Michkov. The Oilers played sloppily and committed an abundance of penalties but ended up stabilizing and mounting the comeback, which ultimately saw them take the Flyers to OT where Leon Draisaitl ended the game.
After a missed opportunity in Edmonton, the Flyers can still end this road trip with a respectable 2-1-1 record with win tonight against the Seattle Kraken (2-2-0).
An Early Look at the Seattle Kraken
The Kraken sit at .500 to begin the season but have shown some real offensive bursts in 2 of their games thus far. They are coming off a 7-3 win in Nashville and also put up 5 goals in a previous win against Minnesota. However, in their two losses, they have totaled 2 goals and were shut out by Dallas. So far, they are an unpredictable team that the Flyers can not discount tonight.
They just signed goaltender Joey Daccord to a 5-year, $25 million contract extension, the man in net for their first 2 wins of the season. The 34-year-old veteran Jordan Eberle is still going strong with a great start to his season. He leads the team in points and goals, notching 3 thus far. Obviously, the Flyers’ defense will have to keep him in check but also not let the young promising forward, Matty Beniers, slip by. He’s still looking to get started, having not scored yet in these first 4 games for the Kraken.
Michkov Encore
The Flyers didn’t come away with the win in Edmonton but 19-year-old Matvei Michkov showcased his talents with 2 very different goals. His first goal of the season showed off his aggressiveness and play close in to the net, as he forced a puck by Stuart Skinner on the power play to put the Flyers up 1-0. Michkov then followed that up with a sweet one-timer from the goalie’s left side, giving the Flyers a quick 2-0 lead on another power play goal.
Fans will surely want to see if he can follow up his 2-goal performance with another good game tonight as his presence on the ice has really given this Flyers team a whole new look, especially on the power play.
Fedotov Gets the Nod
The Flyers are going with Ivan Fedotov tonight against the Kraken. In his first appearance against Calgary, he did not look comfortable. Fedotov surrendered 5 goals on 31 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Flames. The 27-year-old is trying to find his footing in the NHL after joining the Flyers late last season, as the goaltender will potentially need to fail more in order to learn and improve in the NHL. It’s all a part of the growth of prospects. However, with veteran Cal Petersen, Aleksei Kolosov, and Eetu Mäkiniemi down in Lehigh Valley right now, and prospects Carson Bjarnason (WHL) and Yegor Zavragin (KHL) playing well, the Flyers may not be able to wait long. Based off of the list of goalies in the Flyers organization, they need Fedotov’s development to be quicker rather than slower. It’s a tough spot for him to be in but with other unproven netminders in the Flyers’ system, Fedotov starting the season on the right foot would be a big relief. He has a great chance to bounce back tonight in Seattle.
When: 10:00pm ET
Where: Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle, WA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia; 97.5 The Fanatic
Last Game PHI: 10/15; 4-3 OTL at Edmonton
Last Game SEA: 10/15; 7-3 W at Nashville
PHI Projected Lineup
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #39 Matvei Michkov
#86 Joel Farabee – #17 Jett Luchanko – #11 Travis Konecny
#71 Tyson Foerster – #14 Sean Couturier – #10 Bobby Brink
#21 Scott Laughton – #25 Ryan Poehling – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#5 Egor Zamula – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#77 Erik Johnson – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#82 Ivan Fedotov
(#33 Sam Ersson)
SEA Projected Lineup
#17 Jaden Schwartz – #9 Chandler Stephenson – #22 Oliver Bjorkstrand
#19 Jared McCann – #51 Shane Wright – #7 Jordan Eberle
#20 Eeli Tolvanen – #10 Matty Beniers – #95 André Burakovsky
#12 Tye Kartye – #37 Yanni Gourde – #13 Brandon Tanev
#29 Vince Dunn – #6 Adam Larsson
#24 Jamie Oleksiak – #62 Brandon Montour
#41 Ryker Evans – #3 Will Borgen
#31 Philipp Grubauer
(#35 Joey Daccord)
