Flyers @ Kraken: How to watch, lineups, and gamethread

The Philadelphia Flyers are back from their holiday break all stuffed and happy and have set off northwest to face the Seattle Kraken and continue what is technically a road trip that goes up to Western Canada.

Puck drop: 8:00 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
📺: NBCSP
📻: 97.5 The Fanatic

Pregame reading

• According to Elliotte Friedman, the Flyers and Christian Dvorak are in conversation about a new contract extension. After signing a one-year deal last summer, he’s eligible for an extension as soon as January 1. [BSH]
• This isn’t the only hockey going on! The World Juniors is just starting to roll along and we have everything covered for you. Here’s everything that happened on Day 2: [BSH]
• Garnet Hathaway projects to be out of the lineup once again and now, we’re thinking that he might not be on the ice anytime soon. [BSH]

Pregame watching

By the numbers

Philadelphia Flyers – 19-10-7 (3rd in Metro)

Goals: Trevor Zegras (15)
Assists: Travis Konecny/Trevor Zegras (22)
Points: Trevor Zegras (37)

Seattle Kraken – 15-14-6 (6th in Pacific)

Goals: Jordan Eberle (13)
Assists: Eeli Tolvanen (17)
Points: Jordan Eberle (23)

Projected lineups

Philadelphia Flyers

Trevor Zegras — Christian Dvorak — Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey — Sean Couturier — Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Carl Grundstrom — Rodrigo Abols — Nikita Grebenkin

Cam York — Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae — Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler — Rasmus Ristolainen

Dan Vladar
(Sam Ersson)

Seattle Kraken

Kaapo Kakko — Matty Beniers — Jordan Eberle
Eeli Tolvanen — Chandler Stephenson — Frederick Gaudreau
Berkly Catton — Shane Wright — Jared McCann
Tye Kartye — Ben Meyers — Jacob Melanson

Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren — Cale Fleury
Ryker Evans — Jamie Oleksiak

Joey Daccord
(Philipp Grubauer)

Storylines to watch

Another game. another bad defensive team

The Seattle Kraken have been floundering and after their weird good start to the season, they suffered a terrible stretch of some poor hockey, but now are back in the win column for some reason against the divisional opponents like the Kings and Ducks. But, that doesn’t change that they are still a bottom-10 defensive team in the NHL and don’t really have the horses to outscore their own problems.

The Flyers have an opportunity to put the pedal to the metal like they did in Chicago and really make an opponent look foolish and not on their level. The Kraken aren’t league-worst like the Blackhawks have been but they are certainly up there and giving up enough chances where the Flyers can use their above-average offensive depth to their advantage.

Lineup remains unchanged past Christmas

Rick Tocchet didn’t take his time off to come up with some wild and new lineup combination that we haven’t seen before. The Flyers return in the same formation as they did in Chicago with a fourth line featuring wingers who can actually put the puck in the back of the net and a young gun Denver Barkey making an impact up the lineup next to his captain.

And that is thankfully because of the injuries suffered to both Barkey and Travis Sanheim in Chicago were not serious enough for them to miss time after the Christmas break.

Could this be the game Michkov truly breaks out?

It’s almost like a question that’s just hovering over us and tormenting us for the entirety of the season so far. Matvei Michkov has obviously had a wild and disappointing season full of some frustration and just inability to get his chances to convert into actual goals, but we’re still waiting for a true breakout performance where he scores four points or something like we saw during his rookie year. Could this be the game? Maybe. Any game could be.