The regular season is on the horizon but the Flyers aren’t quite there yet, with a couple of preseason games that round out the exhibition season and what could be a few very difficult roster cuts depending on how draft prospect Jett Luchanko looks. Then there’s a rather long break before the regular season (and opening West Coast trek) begins in Vancouver. Here is a breakdown of the first half of October for the Flyers which features two preseason and the opening three games of the 2024-25 schedule.
Flyers vs. Bruins, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. Eastern, TD Garden
The second-to-last exhibition game sees the Flyers heading to Beantown for their second and final preseason tilt against the Bruins. The Flyers still had 37 players on the roster prior to taking on the rather star-studdedless Bruins at home Saturday night, but trimmed that number by one on Sunday when Eetu Mäkiniemi was loaned to Lehigh Valley. It’s also possible that if Alexei Kolosov didn’t get the start Monday night against the Islanders, he’ll get the nod in this tilt as most likely Sam Ersson or Ivan Fedotov will get the call for the exhibition finale Thursday night.
But thankfully the team is starting to look more and more like the Philadelphia Flyers and not the Lehigh Valley Flyers. Look for the lines to be a bit familiar with what you should see in the regular season although there could be one or two spots that are still open for the right player (is that you Jett Luchanko?). Ideally there are no big injuries or health issues to deal with on this night and the Flyers escape with a win or at least not lit up by Brad Marchand and company.
The Bruins come in with a host of turmoil in their goaltending position. After Linus Ullmark headed to Ottawa, the Bruins are still trying to find a way to bring Jeremy Swayman into the fold and nail down a contract that both sides can live with. Swayman and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney could be looking to see what happens in Rangers land between star goalie Igor Shesterkin and New York’s general manager Chris Drury regarding term and cap hit. Swayman has not appeared at the Bruins training camp while the stalemate continues. Although it pales compared to the issues the Flyers have had the last 12 months with goaltenders, the Bruins need to fix this issue a lot sooner than later.
Devils vs. Flyers, Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. Eastern, Wells Fargo Center
The exhibition season wraps up with a home game against the Devils, a team that should’ve took leaps and bounds last season but fell flat on their face with goaltending problems. They’ve tried to solve some of the issues with Jacob Markstrom becoming the proven starter but as we’ve seen before what looks good on paper sometimes doesn’t result in a better team on the ice. New blueliners including Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon should help Markstrom as well as new head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The Flyers by this point will be looking ahead for the season to start as the last of the so-called meaningless games will be in their rearview mirror. The goal is to ensure they play with pace, show up on time and with any luck begin creating a power play that might have a chance to score more than once roughly every eight chances. It’s also a given that the goaltender that starts the game will also be between the pipes when the contest ends. Fans hope the Flyers again come away unscathed and any minor bumps or bruises are healed by the time they take to the ice again eight days later.
Flyers vs. Canucks, Friday, Oct. 11, 10 p.m. Eastern, Rogers Arena (Season Opener)
Matvei Day! Matvei Day! The Flyers’ era with their Russian rookie (and to some savior) Matvei Michkov officially begins in games that matter. The task of playing four West Coast games to start the year could be seen as arduous but now’s as good as any time for a team healthy and fresh to tackle the traditionally difficult swing. Vancouver is no shrinking violet to start the year with six of the top 150 player tiers released in late September including Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson (not to be confused with the other Canucks player by the same name). The Canucks were quite competitive last year, winning their division before bowing out in the second round to the Oilers in seven games.
Look for the adrenaline and excitement to start the year hopefully drive the Flyers into the first game with a good effort and hopefully some good to great goaltending behind them. A few leaky goals to start the season will not help goaltender Sam Ersson at all and possibly leave Tortorella speechless. Michkov and company, especially Travis Konecny, should come into the season and game ready to start. Hopefully they come out with a victory and still have gas in the tank for game two which sees them Alberta bound. Also, the one plus? The start time. Expect puck drop to be a tad later than 10 p.m. Eastern, but still better than last year when a game in Vegas left a start time handy midnight thanks to a full slate of staggered starts.
Flyers vs. Flames, Saturday, Oct. 12, 10 p.m. Eastern, Scotiabank Saddledome
The first of several back-to-backs (including three this month) concludes Saturday night against the Flames. The season home opener for the Flames might also include a special tribute to the late Blue Jackets star (and former Flames leader) Johnny Gaudreau. The game should also be the first time Michkov is used in a back-to-back situation so it’ll be interesting to see if the legs and energy are still there during the second half of the contest. The Alberta trips have rarely been kind to the Flyers (and most NHL opponents) but all time the Flyers are just four games under .500 (18-22-2) playing in Calgary. In fact the teams all-time are tied over 82 regular season games (39-39-4). They also did a bit of business during the 2024 NHL Draft when the Flyers swapped their fifth-round pick and sixth-round pick to Calgary for their fourth-round pick, drafting Heikki Ruohonen.
It should also be the first game of the new season for Ivan Fedotov as it’s doubtful Sam Ersson gets two straight games in two nights. Fedotov’s memorable (and then forgettable) first two games in 2023-24 seemed to mirror the Flyers’ season but hopefully with a full training camp and exhibition season under his belt he’ll look impressive. Or at least good. Also, it’ll be nice to see Travis Sanheim play with his family looking on in the stands, something that didn’t happen just a few short seasons ago under John Tortorella.
Flyers vs. Oilers, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 10 p.m. Eastern, Rogers Place
A few days between games should see the Flyers ready for the second half of the four-game swing. But it’s not the easiest opponent as the Western Conference champions Edmonton Oilers should be ready to close out their opening four-game home stand with a victory. The Oilers, a game away from winning it all last year, stacked their deck trying to tie up loose ends or weakness. Although the Blues snatched away two younger players in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg with offer sheets, the Oilers went cheaper and older with Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson and Connor Carrick among others joining Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl.
The Flyers should be focused and ready for this one. Regardless it will be a great measuring stick to see how they match up against the best in the West and whether they can stay with the Oilers the entire contest or if they simply don’t have the talent to compete. It will also mark the first of a handful of elite matchups for Michkov when he faces McDavid and Draisatl. And if the Flyers end up with more power play goals than the Oilers (who clicked at 26.3 per cent during the regular season and 29.3 per cent in the playoffs)
Bigger picture for first half of October
As the exhibition season comes to an end, it’s a huge plus if the Flyers come out of the seven game preseason without any major injuries or health concerns. The nearly 10-day break between the final exhibition game against the Devils and the season opener in Vancouver should give the team some sizeable practice time to see more lines click a bit better and make the power play units a lot more time to get to know each other. Or basically try and figure out where to be when Matvei Michkov decides it’s time to try an incredible cross-ice pass between two defenders for a gimme goal or a tap in.
If the Flyers can get four out of six points in the first three games of the West Coast few would be disappointed. Ideally Michkov gets off to a good start, the power play shows some signs of life and the goaltending isn’t a huge question mark so early into 2024-25.
