VOORHEES — Excitement surrounding a preseason game may never reach the level it will tonight after the unveiling of lines during the Flyers morning skate.
From top to bottom, the lineup against the Boston Bruins for a 7 p.m. affair at the Wells Fargo Center is littered with talented prospects and the majority of key veterans.
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The Lineup:
Konecny – Couturier – Voracek
Schenn – Cousins – Simmonds
Laughton – Weal – Weise
VandeVelde – Gordon – Lyubimov
Gostisbehere – Del Zotto
MacDonald – Sanheim
Provorov – Myers
Neuvirth
Mason
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The trio that will draw the most attention is the Couturier-centered line. If Konecny makes the Flyers’ opening night roster, this could very well be the spot he’s plugged into. He’ll have the same approach going into tonight’s contest as he did when he was paired with Brayden Schenn and Michael Raffl.
“They have the skill,” Konecny said. “For me it’s just getting the puck and making sure I’m in the good areas, playing a smart game.”
Alongside Voracek and Couturier, Konecny has two of the most skilled forwards on the team to work with and a golden chance to continue to build his skyrocketing stock after his two-point performance last time out. Moreover, this is a lineup that really suits Couturier as he gets to work with quite possibly the two most talented wingers he’s ever had the chance with.
Konecny is also eager to get out in front of the Flyers faithful.
“I had a little bit of a taste playing at the Wells Fargo,” Konecny said. “I’m looking forward to it tonight.”
Konecny won’t be the only junior-eligible player suiting up, either. Provorov and Myers will both be on the blue line … at the same time. This goes against head coach Dave Hakstol’s typical approach of pairing one veteran with one rookie.
“Those two young guys have played a little bit together on the power play and they’ve paired up well in practice,” Hakstol said. “I think they’ll handle things well. They have some pretty good chemistry between the two of them. I’m sure there will be some challenges but they’ll be fine together.”
On Tuesday, Myers got some time with Travis Sanheim – who will work with Andrew MacDonald tonight – and the young pair played really well in the limited time together. Myers and Provorov have been the two most talked about players alongside Konecny this camp, so getting a chance to see them work together against NHL competition will be a peek into the future (the near future?).
Four of the World Cup of Hockey players will suit up for the first time this preseason: Neuvirth, Gostisbehere, Couturier and Voracek.
“Since the last game, it’s been nine days,” Voracek said in reference to his final game for Team Russia Czech Republic. “I’m happy to get back to it. I don’t like the long breaks.”
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Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins:
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How To Follow Along: 97.5 The Fanatic (no television broadcast)
