One could say that the Philadelphia Flyers are on a heater. Over their last 10 games, they’re 8-2-0 and currently sit with a record of 19-19-7, which may isn’t great relative to other teams, but considering where the team was projected to be, it’s a bit of a shocker to many fans who might ignore this team.
Despite having a better record than anticipated, the Flyers are still seventh in a very stacked Metropolitan Division. However, they are gaining ground on the New York Islanders, who are 3-5-2 in their last 10.
Philadelphia’s opponent tonight has been the epitome of the word “bad” for hockey teams this season. The Chicago Blackhawks are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games, but sit with a record of 12-26-4, good for last in the Central Division, last in the Western Conference, and second to last in the entire NHL.
Seth Jones leads the charge over the Blackhawks’ last five games with two goals, six assists, and eight points, while Travis Konecy over that same frame leads in goals and points, but it’s Scott Laughton who is on top in the assists category.
Carter Hart is the projected starting goaltender for the Flyers this evening, and although he has had his ups and downs over the 2022-23 season, he has had success against the Blackhawks in his career. Despite only playing two games, he has done very well in them, giving up only four goals and producing a .944 save percentage and two wins.
Petr Mrazek is projected for the Blackhawks, and over his career, he hasn’t had the greatest of times playing the orange and black. He has a 2-3-3 record in eight games with a .906 save percentage, which may also result from some of the teams he has played on before.
Despite still not being a “good” team, or some would even argue an “okay” team, the Flyers are the better squad in this matchup. And considering the way they have played recently, it is not unfair for fans to tune into this game expecting a win. It’s going to be an interesting inter-conference game tonight, and even though it’s winnable, there’s no way the Flyers will succeed if they come into this game and don’t play up to the standard that head coach John Tortorella expects them to.
Flyers Projected Lineup
James van Riemsdyk — Morgan Frost — Owen Tippett
Joel Farabee — Noah Cates — Travis Konecny
Kevin Hayes — Scott Laughton — Wade Allison
Nicolas Deslauriers — Patrick Brown — Zack MacEwen
Ivan Provorov — Cam York
Travis Sanheim — Tony DeAngelo
Nick Seeler — Rasmus Ristolainen
Carter Hart
(Samuel Ersson)
Game Info
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio 97.5 The Fanatic
