The Game: 7:00 p.m. EST on NBCSports Philadelphia, ESPN+/Hulu, and 93.3 WMMR
The Flyers are 4-0-0 in the Jamie Drysdale era (even though he’s only played two games), and they welcome the Dallas Stars tonight after sweeping a three-game road trip. Add in the Flyers’ home win against Montreal last week, and that’s a four-game win streak that’s put them at second in the Metropolitan Division.
How ’bout that?
This will be the Flyers’ second matchup against the Dallas Stars, and last time did not go well. That game was Sam Ersson’s first of the season, and he got shellacked, allowing five goals on 25 shots–an .800 save percentage. Granted, losing that game 5-4 in overtime was something of a miracle, given the Flyers had to score twice in the third to force the extra frame. Also, this was October: we were all still under the impression the Flyers would be terrible this season. Amazing what a few months can do, eh?
The Stars, meanwhile, sit comfortably at third in the Central Division. They’re 6-3-1 in their last ten and routed the LA Kings on Tuesday, even with the absence of star defenseman Miro Heiskanen. It’s likely Heiskanen won’t play tonight, but he is on the four-game road trip with the team, so there’s a chance he draws into the lineup as a game-time decision.
On the whole, Dallas has had a good season, sporting a 26-12-5 record and a plus-30 goal differential–but it feels like they’ve been coasting, and there’s another gear for them to hit (full disclosure: the Stars are my pick to win the Stanley Cup). The top line of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, and Jason Robertson was dominant last year–but until recently, they looked average and lacked the “oomph” we saw last season. Now, however, things might be turning around, as Robertson’s on a six game point streak with three goals and eight points in that span. The Flyers are going to have do everything they can to keep that top line contained, and avoid penalties at all costs–the Stars top-10 power play will punish the Flyers.
Players to Watch
Morgan Frost
Ever since wrestling/fist fighting/yelling at John Tortorella, Frost has been excellent–and he was especially noticeable in St. Louis with Sean Couturier out for the second consecutive game. Frost may’ve only gotten one point (a secondary assist), but he was buzzing around the ice and making creative passes that led to dangerous scoring chances. Watch for him to get on the score board for real this time.
Egor Zamula
Zamula walked out of St. Louis the best player on the team in terms of game score:
Zamula’s play was up and down in 2023, but since the calendar’s turned–and since he’s been getting power play minutes–Big Z has looked good. We expect Jamie Drysdale to be recovered from his illness and back on one of the PP units, so look to see how Zamula handles the bulk of his minutes at 5-on-5, rather than special teams.
Matt Duchene
One team’s loss is another team’s incredible gain. Duchene was bought out by the Nashville Predators over the summer, only to be picked up on a steal of a contract (one-year, $3-million AAV) by Central Division rivals, the Dallas Stars–and boy, has Duchene been a force. He’s second in scoring on the team with 14 goals and 39 points in 41 games, and driving a second line that’s seen a Tyler Seguin resurgence and made Mason Marchment look like he did during his stint with the Florida Panthers. Once a top heavy team with the first line of Pavelski/Hintz/Robertson driving the offense, the Stars have a loaded top six and a dangerous third line of Jamie Benn/Wyatt Johnston/Evgenii Dadonov–and that depth revolves around Duchene.
Projected Lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Cam Atkinson – Sean Couturier – Tyson Foerster
Travis Konecny – Morgan Frost – Owen Tippett
Joel Farabee – Ryan Poehling – Bobby Brink
Nic Deslauriers – Scott Laughton – Garnet Hathaway
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Sean Walker
Marc Staal – Rasmus Ristolainen
Sam Ersson
(Carter Hart)
Dallas Stars
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Wyatt Johnston
Mason Marchment – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn – Sam Steel – Joe Pavelski
Craig Smith – Radek Faksa – Evgenii Dadonov
Esa Lindell – Jani Hakanpaa
Ryan Suter – Nils Lundkvist
Thomas Harley – Joel Hanley
Jake Oettinger
(Matthew Murray)
Gameday Tunes
Too obvious of a title choice?
Stats via Hockey Reference
