The Philadelphia Flyers are hosting the New Jersey Devils for their final preseason game. It’s finally over. After this one, every game will actually matter — until we do it all again next year. And, for a bonus, there are some interesting lineup decisions from head coach Rick Tocchet.
Puck drop: 12:30 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
📺: NBCSP
📻: 97.5 The Fanatic
Pregame reading
- Should we be concerned after the Flyers quickly sent defenseman Emil Andrae down to the AHL? [BSH]
- Porter Martone made his college hockey debut Friday night and he put in such a good performance. Brad breaks it all down with major takeaways: [BSH]
Pregame watching
Projected lineups
Christian Dvorak — Sean Couturier — Matvei Michkov
Nikita Grebenkin — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett — Trevor Zegras — Travis Konecny
Rodrigo Abols — Jett Luchanko — Garnet Hathaway
Cam York — Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler — Jamie Drysdale
Adam Ginning — Noah Juulsen
Dan Vladar
(Sam Ersson)
Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Artemii Gritsyuk
Shane Lachance — Kevin Rooney — Lenni Hameenaho
Mike Hardman — Jack Malone — Xavier Parent
Jonathan Gruden — Matyas Melovsky — Nathan Legare
Dennis Cholowski — Calen Addison
Ethan Edwards — Simon Strand
Topias Vilen — Mikael Diotte
Jake Allen
(Georgi Romanov)
Storylines to watch
Foerster and Zamula out, Juulsen, Abols, and Luchanko in
For the final exhibition game of this mediocre and weird preseason in Philadelphia, Tocchet is swapping out some players. Tyson Foerster is taking a seat but we of course just have to assume it’s to get another look at some other forwards and he could take a rest due to him just recovering from his injury. And Egor Zamula, after Tocchet bluntly criticized the defenseman, is also out of the lineup.
In comes Noah Juulsen to take the spot alongside Adam Ginning to form a potential season-starting third pair (woof) and both Rodrigo Abols and Jett Luchanko are getting to make some potentially final impressions before being sent elsewhere. There has been no indication that this is what this game is serving as, but Abols has deserved to be on the roster and could potentially just be a placeholder for Foerster on the line with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. And while we have seen Jett Luchanko and Owen Tippett connected through training camp, it certainly feels that Tocchet wants to make the speedy winger work alongside Michkov and Zegras for the time being.
The actual lines are assumptions, but this certainly could be the Flyers coaching staff and front office trying to find a spot for Luchanko to start his season with the Flyers. Right now, we’re just guessing with some context.
Dan Vladar getting the full 60
Vladar is slated to get the full game against the Devils on Saturday afternoon and while this is just reading between the lines, but we would be surprised if he was the starter on October 9 when the Flyers open their season against the Florida Panthers. Even if he puts up a 40-save shutout, Ersson is most likely getting the start and they would be going from there with their decision as to who has done enough to earn the crease for specific games.
For now, it’s Vladar and he’s getting another chance to show how much more of an improvement he is over the likes of Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov.
Devils icing B team
Even if you are the most hockey sicko imaginable, you might be able to recognize half the names on the Devils’ lineup this afternoon. It’s full of dudes trying to get a spot, and then Luke Glendening and Paul Cotter.
