Thanks to a whole bunch of teams around the Flyers in the standings, there is a very important hockey game in Philadelphia this afternoon. With a win today, the Flyers can leapfrog the Islanders and claim third in the division, giving them a well-deserved playoff spot. All they have to do is beat the Bruins.
Puck drop: 3:30 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
📺: TNT
📻: 97.5 The Fanatic
Pregame reading
- In the Flyers’ big win on Friday night over the Islanders, in a crucial do-or-die game, it was Matvei Michkov that powered them. And he did it all in under 12 minutes of ice time. [BSH]
- Earlier, it was the impressive Porter Martone and Tyson Foerster performances that drove a whole lot of the Flyers offense. Let’s see if they do that again. [BSH]
Pregame watching
By the numbers
Philadelphia Flyers – 38-26-12 (4th in Metro)
Goals: Owen Tippett (28)
Assists: Travis Konecny (39)
Points: Travis Konecny (66)
Boston Bruins – 43-36-8 (3rd in Atlantic)
Goals: Morgan Geekie (34)
Assists: David Pastrnak (67)
Points: Mathew Barzel (68)
Projected lineups
Tyson Foerster — Trevor Zegras — Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny — Christian Dvorak — Porter Martone
Alex Bump — Noah Cates — Matvei Michkov
Sean Couturier — Luke Glendening — Carl Grundstrom
Travis Sanheim — Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler — Emil Andrae
Dan Vladar
(Sam Ersson)
Marat Khusnutdinov — Fraser Minten — David Pastrnak
Casey Mittelstadt — Pavel Zacha — Viktor Arvidsson
Michael Eyssimont — Elias Lindholm — Morgan Geekie
Tanner Jeannot — Sean Kuraly — Mark Kastelic
Jonathan Aspirot — Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm — Jordan Harris
Nikita Zadorov — Andrew Peeke
Joonas Korpisalo
(Jeremy Swayman)
Storylines to watch
Facing a similar team overcoming expectations
If we want to truly go all overarching story on this afternoon’s game, we can. The Bruins, like the Flyers, deciding to part ways with some culture-heavy veterans in an effort to get younger, then got a top-10 pick last year for sinking down the standings, drafted a potential first-line forward, and is now going to make the playoffs (the Flyers still working on that last part). But, Philadelphia’s top prospect and prize for last year’s failures is now here and playing these crucial games along with the rest of their experienced players and players that will be here for a long time as they search to get better each season.
It’s a similar spot but just different levels of players — Boston has Pastrnak, but Philadelphia has better and more young players throughout the lineup — and still the end goal of this not being the year, but it’s building on something.
Porter Martone getting more comfortable
The former sixth-overall pick was not always going to average seven shots on goal. In Friday’s big win, Martone had a fairly quiet game — he wasn’t machine-gunning pucks into the goalie and looking like the best forward on the team, but was just a solid competitor and still doing his thing to a lesser degree as Matvei Michkov walked into the spotlight previously held by him.
Could this afternoon be the game where Martone gets his first goal, though? To put the puck into the back of the net at home in one of the most important games the Flyers will play all year long, to push this team he is just figuring out how to be a part of, into the playoffs. It’s what they make movies about.
Flyers’ power play needs to take advantage
It might be shocking, but there is a worse penalty kill than the Flyers’ out there. Boston has killed just 76.5 percent of their penalties this season, which is 26th in the league. For some reason, they’re not good at all at it and the even though the Flyers have a well-documented terrible and awful and bad power play, they need to cash in this afternoon — that can be the difference.
Mix in that it’s Joonas Korpisalo and not Jeremy Swayman in between the pipes for the Bruins, and there is a real shot of doing some damage. Can we be greedy and ask for two power play goals? Maybe even just one? Just get one, please.
