Look Who’s Returning to Flyers’ Lineup Monday Against Carolina

He’s baaaaaaack.

After a six-game benching, center Morgan Frost will return to the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup Monday against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes.

The Flyers (4-3-1) went 3-2-1 with Frost sitting in the press box.

Coach John Tortorella said the benching was more about other players performing better than it was about Frost playing poorly.

The 24-year-old center’s development was one of the Flyers’ best stories last season. He scored a career-high 19 goals and led the team with 40 points over the last 55 games.

Frost, a first-round selection (27th overall) in 2017, had no points in the Philadelphia Flyers’ first two games this year.

On Monday, Frost will replace Ryan Poehling as the Flyers try to bounce back from a 7-4 loss Saturday to Anaheim. Tortorella said he wants Frost to “bring pace.”

The veteran coach said it was “healthy” that he has lineup decisions to make and that it shows how the team is evolving and has more options.

At Monday’s morning skate, Frost centered Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster. Scott Laughton dropped down to Poehling’s fourth-line spot and centered Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway, wingers on what had been the PhD line.

Hartsy makes his 200th career NHL start and Frosty returns to the lineup tonight for #CARvsPHI. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/z0iAldLCh7

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 30, 2023

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Tortorella recently said he was looking to get Frost into the lineup. “I want to get him back in,” he said. “I have just not seen an opening right now.”

Until Monday.

Hart Making 200th Start

Goaltender Carter Hart will get his seventh start in nine games for the Flyers (4-3-1), who have a 3-1 home record. Hart is 4-2 with a 2.18 GAA and .924 save percentage. It will be the 200th start of Hart’s career.

Carolina (5-4) is usually one of the league’s best defensive teams, so it seems odds to see the Canes ranked 30th in the NHL,  allowing 3.89 goals per game.

But the Hurricanes have started to get their act together. They have won two straight, beating Seattle in overtime, 3-2, and blanking San Jose, 3-0.

Key Players

Konecny has eight goals in eight games to pace the Philadelphia Flyers, who have also gotten lots of production from Cam Atkinson (five goals, eight points), Travis Sanheim (eight points), Sean Couturier (seven points) and Joel Farabee (four goals).

Carolina has been led by Teuvo Teravainen (seven goals), who had a hat trick in his last game, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Martin Necas, and Seth Jarvis. The latter three players have four goals and five assists apiece.

How to Watch

The 7 p.m. game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Prediction

Carolina 3, Flyers 2.

Breakaways

Poehling, 24, played extremely well in the exhibition games, but has no points in the first eight regular-season games and is minus-1. … The Flyers have lost seven straight against the Hurricanes. … Rookie Bobby Brink has four points over his last two games. … Carolina is 3-0 at home, 2-4 on the road, where it has lost three straight. … The Hurricanes’ Tony DeAngelo, a former Flyer who grew up in South Jersey, has four points and a minus-5 rating in nine games. … Winger Olle Lycksell, 24, leads the Phantoms (3-4) with six goals.

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