Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Flyers saw both their point and win streaks snapped by the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, as mounting injuries are finally taking their toll on the roster. There were bright spots though: Travis Sanheim skated a whole lot, Travis Konecny’s point streak extended to seven games, Aleksei Kolosov looked okay, and call-up Helge Grans finished the game on the top pair with Sanheim. Outside of a couple of boneheaded penalties and dumb plays, it wasn’t nearly as lopsided a match as one would expect this Flyers team to have against an opponent boasting Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen, among other stars.
Things don’t get much easier tonight, though, as the Carolina Hurricanes arrive at the Wells Fargo Center. The Canes are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and are one point behind the Washington Capitals for first in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina has a game in hand on the Caps, though, so a win tonight could put them atop the division.
A little has changed for Carolina since the Flyers lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Canes a couple weeks ago. Goaltender Freddie Andersen is officially out for an unspecified amount of time, backup Pyotr Kochetkov has had his own injury troubles, and Seth Jarvis doesn’t have a clear timeline yet, either. That’s the beauty of the Carolina system, though: even when injuries strike, their system is so strong that depth players can step into elevated roles and flourish. Jack Roslovic, for example, whose career highs are 22 goals and 45 points, already has nine goals and ten points through 17 games in a top-line role next to Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov; rookie Jackson Blake has five goals and seven points in 17 games, and has a spot on the top power play unit. This is just what the Canes do.
There were a lot of doubters over the summer, though. On paper, the roster got worse: Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce left in free agency, as well as deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel. They didn’t replace Guentzel up front, and their blue line replacements were one-time Flyers Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker. There was also Martin Necas, whose contract discussions lingered into the summer when reported trade talks broke down and no team met the price Carolina had set for the winger. The vibes were weird, and a step back seemed imminent.
Well, egg on the faces of all doubters. Carolina’s been a force in the East, and the Flyers will once again have their hands full with a legit Stanley Cup contending team.
Players to Watch
Tyson Foerster
With goals in back-to-back games, maybe Foerster is finally back on track. Still, he did take a terrible penalty in the game against Colorado, so whether his scoring and all-around play is enough to get him off the fourth line remains to be seen. He also went up the tunnel briefly in that game, so hopefully it wasn’t for anything major and he’ll be able to keep the momentum going in tonight’s game.
Travis Konecny
With 13 points in his last seven games, Konecny has the opportunity to extend his point streak to eight games. The chippy winger has been excellent on a top line with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett, despite taking a beating at the hands of opposing teams. Seriously: it’s a miracle he hasn’t missed time yet given how uncomfortable he looks after most shifts. Watch for him to keep up the scoring clip and, if we’re lucky, a vintage “Hi, Shayne!”
"Hi Shayne!" 🤣
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) December 12, 2021
Travis Konecny misses his old buddy Ghost. pic.twitter.com/vCPVwZm3E4
Martin Necas
Necas is the primary reason Guentzel’s departure has not affected the Canes nearly as badly as expected. In 17 games, Necas has 11 goals and 30 points, and is riding a 13-game point streak coming into tonight’s match. Odds are pretty good he extends it, even if his 26.2 shooting percentage is bound to come back down at some point. There are probably a lot of front offices in the league kicking themselves for not meeting whatever the Canes were asking for Necas and, if the Flyers were one of those teams, they’ll get to experience that fumble personally.
Projected Lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Owen Tippett – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee – Scott Laughton – Bobby Brink
Anthony Richard – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Helge Grans
Egor Zamula – Erik Johnson
Ivan Fedotov
(Aleksei Kolosov)
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Jack Roslovic
Eric Robinson – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – William Carrier
Tyson Jost – Jack Drury – Jackson Blake
Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov – Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere – Sean Walker
Pyotr Kochetkov
(Spencer Martin)
Gameday Tunes
A recent release that’s been on repeat. Icy, smooth beats that feel at home on a rink and anthemic synths fit for an arena.
Stats courtesy Hockey Reference
