While any Philadelphia Flyers games would be a godsend at this point of the offseason, here are three games you should be especially looking forward to next year.
Let’s be honest- it’s sad to think about how there are still nearly two months before the start of regular season hockey. But you can bet that when the season finally arrives, it’ll be worth it. Flyers fans have so much to look forward to next year, from longtime stars like Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, to exciting young newcomers Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom, to top-pairing defenseman Andrew McDonald.
Okay, maybe not that last one. Anyway, besides the players themselves, the Flyers’ regular season slate offers many compelling matchups. Here are three of the games you should make sure you tune in to watch next year.
November 16, at Winnipeg Jets
Everyone loves a good revenge match. This game will mark the Flyers’ first against goaltender Steve Mason since his departure this offseason. There was apparently quite a bit of animosity between Mason and his former team before the Flyers opted not to offer him a new contract. In his exit interviews, Mason expressed his desire to be considered a No. 1 goaltender. “I’m confident in my abilities as a number-one goaltender, and I hoped would have echoed those statements.”
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Letting Mason walk certainly represented the Flyers’ sentiments, but in reality, the writing has been on the wall for Mase since the team signed Michal Neuvirth to a two-year extension back on March 1. Choosing Neuvirth over Mason was a controversial decision, and Mason will have the opportunity to make his case that the Flyers made the wrong one on November 16.
January 13, at New Jersey Devils
Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick will forever be linked as the top two selections in the 2017 Draft. Patrick had long been considered the superior prospect, but Patrick’s injuries and a eye-popping year from Hischier allowed the latter to earn the right to be selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils.
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This game will be chapter one of Nico v. Nolan, with many more pages on the way. It’s going to be a pleasure to watch these two studs face off in the years to come, and January 13 will offer at first taste at what will hopefully be an entertaining rivalry.
February 11, at Vegas Golden Knights
Apologies for choosing three away games for this list, but this one is pretty self-explanatory. The Flyers will make their first trip to Las Vegas to take on the newly formed Golden Knights, hopefully putting off the crazy partying until after dominating the Knights on the ice.
They’ll also get to reunite with Hakstol favorite Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who was the Golden Knights’ selection in the expansion draft. Bellemare was a decent bottom-liner who could kill penalties, but the guy simply could not score or drive play at even strength to save his life. Bellemare’s selection was an extremely fortuitous turn of events for the Flyers; perhaps the team will finally see why.