Preview
Flyers Game 58, Back from Break; Lines, Notes, and How to Watch vs. Oilers
The Philadelphia Flyers (24-26-7) return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break as they host the Edmonton Oilers (34-17-4).
Edmonton went 2-2-1 in its last five contests before the break, each of them being a one-goal game. The Flyers went 1-3-1 in that five-game stretch before the break, with the lone win coming in their last one against Pittsburgh.
The puck drops at 1:00 p.m. EST at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.
Projected Lines
Lines will be tricky to project as the Flyers were practicing without Travis Konecny, who was with Canada for 4 Nations. Here is my best crack at what the Flyers will put out, based on what lines were used at practice/what I would like to see:
Forwards
Owen Tippett – Scott Laughton – Travis Konecny
Andrei Kuzmenko – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Jakob Pelletier – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Egor Zamula – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Jamie Drysdale
Goaltender
Power Play Units
PP1: Travis Konecny – Matvei Michkov – Bobby Brink – Scott Laughton– Rasmus Ristolainen
PP2: Andrei Kuzmenko – Noah Cates – Tyson Foerster – Sean Couturier – Jamie Drysdale
Penalty Kill Units
PK1: Scott Laughton – Travis Konecny – Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
PK2: Noah Cates – Garnet Hathaway – Nick Seeler – Cam York
Back to Full Strength
The Flyers look to be back at full strength, really for the first time since January 16th. Flyers’ social media released a post saying that all Flyers that carried an injury designation (Tippett, Poehling, Ristolainen, Zamula) are eligible to return to the lineup for Saturday.
Whether that will happen or not still remains a question, but as things stand, the Flyers are poised to be fully healthy again.
With a critical stretch of games coming up for the Flyers playoff hopes, it is good to grow closer to full health. With the trade deadline looming, it is essential to be at full strength to know where you stand amongst the around-.500 pack.
Return of the Champs
Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny will return home to Philadelphia as champions after Team Canada won the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off.
Travis Sanheim played all but the first contest for Canada. He tallied one point in the tournament with an assist in the game against Finland. He ended the tournament with a -1 +/-and had over 18 minutes on ice in Canada’s last two games.
While Konecny did not play in the championship, he still returned home as a champion. Konecny played in two games and tallied two shots, both of which came in Canada’s 5-3 win over the Finns.
The two Team Canada representatives and Flyers’ head coach, John Tortorella, had a chartered flight back to Philadelphia on Friday.
The Mighty Oilers Come to Town
It would be neglectful not to recognize the world-class talent coming to take on the Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
Connor McDavid is the world’s best for a reason. We all witnessed it throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off. McDavid scored The Golden Goal, leading Canada to its 3-2 victory in the 4 Nations Championship.
Edmonton has another world-class talent whose country was not represented in the tournament. Leon Draisaitl (German) sometimes gives McDavid a run at being the best on the Oilers, let alone the world. He is in the midst of yet another fantastic season, having 40 goals and 43 assists (83 points) in just 55 games. He is well on pace for his third-straight 100-point season and sixth in seven years.
There is a reason the Oilers are consistently among the best in the Western Conference. It’ll be no small task for the Flyers to start their final 25 games with them.
Previous Matchups
Since the 2021/22 season, the Flyers and Oilers have split each season series between the two teams. The Flyers are 4-5-1 against the Oilers in the last ten showdowns. Edmonton beat the Flyers in overtime earlier in the season. The Flyers will look to keep the series split streak alive with a win on Saturday.
Sean Couturier leads all active Flyers with nine points (3G, 6A) in the last ten games against the Oilers. In the previous game, Matvei Michkov scored his first two NHL goals.
How to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN+
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Puck drop is at 1:00 p.m. EST. at the Wells Fargo Center.
