The Game: 7:00 p.m. EST on NBCSports Philadelphia, ESPN+/Hulu, and 93.3 WMMR
At long last, the Flyers have won a hockey game! While the win over the Florida Panthers was a bit sloppy (let’s not talk about that first period ever again), the Flyers managed to find their game and grind away against a physical, talented Florida team. Today, they welcome the Winnipeg Jets (5-4-1 in their last 10) in their first home game since the All Star Break.
The last time the Flyers faced the Jets, it was the third win in their five game streak–and at the time, the Jets were the hottest team in the league. They even won it in a shutout, to boot. Maybe they can string a few more wins together against a Jets team that’s looking weak, now having lost four games in a row.
They’re not an easy team to count out, though–not when you have Connor Hellebuyck in net and putting together a Vezina-worthy season (though it appears the Flyers will be getting Laurent Brossoit tonight, who’s having a solid season with 2.07 GAA and a .926 save percentage as Hellebuyck’s backup). Another key player, Kyle Connor, was missing in the last matchup due to injury, but he’s back now. Mark Scheifele, too, was also out with injury and has since returned to his role as 1C. With the playoffs still likely (the Jets have got nine points and a game in hand on the St. Louis Blues behind them), they made one of the first major trade deadline acquisitions, giving up a 1st and conditional 3rd round pick for Sean Monahan, who’s now playing center on the second line. It’s a savvy pickup that gives the power play a boost and bolsters the depth up front, even if the cost was a bit (or a lot) of an overpay.
The Flyers, meanwhile, have their roster pretty much set until a deadline deal comes through. Noah Cates (Tuesday’s game-winning goal) and Owen Tippett (three shots on goal) are back and healthy, and all of the defensemen continue to play well enough that none warrant a scratching. As a result, we’d be surprised to see Torts shift back to a 12/6 lineup, so expect to see the Flyers to roll 11/7 for the future. It’s worked okay so far, though the one quirk I’ve got qualms with is running two defensemen (Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale) on the second power play unit–but hey, if it gets either of them going, so be it.
Players to Watch
Joel Farabee
Sure, TK’s goal on Tuesday was great, but the pass from Farabee? That was dynamite. Farabee was noticeable most of the game, and continues to be one of the best five-on-five producers not just on the team, but in the entire NHL. Watch for him to continue driving play at even strength, setting up scoring chances, and maybe popping in a goal himself–he’s gone four games without one, so he feels due.
Noah Cates
Nobody needed a goal worse than Noah Cates did. He had a bad start to the season, missed significant time with a broken foot, and had only one point (an assist) since returning to the lineup. Despite the disappointing box score, Cates was still one of the better play drivers on the team–he just wasn’t putting up points. Hopefully, that goal against Florida gets him back on track and he can finish the season strong.
Kyle Connor
Early in the season, Connor was in the thick of the Rocket Richard race, but an unfortunate injury derailed his chances as he missed several weeks of gameplay. He’s still popping pucks in the net at solid rate, with 18 goals and 29 points in 32 games played, and is part of a dangerous top line that consists of him, Scheifele, and Gabe Vilardi (acquired in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade). Those three can do a lot of damage on the power play, too, with Connor being the primary goal scorer, so the Flyers will have to keep him contained as best they can.
Projected Lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Owen Tippett – Sean Couturier – Cam Atkinson
Joel Farabee – Morgan Frost – Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster – Ryan Poehling – Noah Cates
Scott Laughton – Garnet Hathaway
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Travis Sanheim – Ramus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Sean Walker
Egor Zamula
Sam Ersson
(Cal Petersen)
Winnipeg Jets
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Gabe Vilardi
Cole Perfetti – Sean Monahan – Nikolaj Ehlers
Nino Neiderreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton
Morgan Barron – Vladislav Namestnikov – Alex Iafallo
Josh Morissey – Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley – Nate Schmidt
Laurent Brossoit
(Connor Hellebuyck)
Gameday Tunes
How many airplane jokes can we make in a single article?
Stats via Hockey Reference
