Well that was a whirlwind of a weekend, huh? Fletcher out as GM, Danny Briere in, and a slew of other changes coming in the near future. Some things never change though—like Sidney Crosby scoring goals against the Flyers.
Anyway, the Flyers host the Vegas Golden Knights tonight. Vegas is the top team in the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 88 points; that would put them at third place in the Metro Division, which just goes to show how bonkers the East is right now. They’re 7-2-1 in their last ten and on a three game win streak, including a 4-0 shutout of the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for them, their captain—Mark Stone—is on LTIR, though this might just be some of the cap gymnastics Vegas is famous for. They’re also without rookie goaltender Logan Thompson, who’s admirably taken the starter role after Robin Lehner went on LTIR early in the season.
Speaking of goalies: Jonathan Quick is a Vegas Golden Knight now, after a brief stop over with the Columbus Blue Jackets. How ‘bout that? On the Flyers side, Felix Sandstrom gets the start as Carter Hart is down with the flu. This doesn’t bode well for the Flyers, as they’re in the midst of a three-game losing streak and are 2-7-1 in their last ten—though admittedly, Sandstrom looked pretty good against the Canes last week and gave the Flyers a chance, despite a 1-0 loss. This also means that Sam Ersson, the Son of Ers himself, will be the backup, and Tyson Foerster rejoins the team on emergency loan as well.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. from the Wells Fargo Center.
Players to Watch
Joel Farabee
It hasn’t resulted in any goals, but Farabee’s been buzzing around the last few games. The downside is he’s taken a few boneheaded penalties, but it’s nice to see him trying to be involved after a few months of him being completely unnoticeable. He had an assist against Tampa last week, and nearly connected on a few more shots—more than any player on this roster, he’s poised for a turnaround.
Owen Tippett
Speaking of buzzing players, did y’all see Owen Tippett get absolutely robbed by Casey DeSmith on Saturday? Kid sure isn’t afraid to shoot, and ya love to see it. Maybe he’ll pot one tonight? That’d be nice.
Tyson Foerster & Elliot Desnoyers
Both kids should be back in the lineup as Travis Konecny and Wade Allison remain out with injuries. Both are still hunting for their first NHL goals, and Foerster came damn close in his debut, so he feels due.
Jack Eichel
Eichel’s been pretty quiet on the scoresheet lately, so it seems only appropriate that he’ll have a massive game against a struggling Flyers team. Expect some fireworks if he comes out energized.
