Flyers Marquee Matchups at the Wells Fargo Center
By Nick Butler
With a return to a full 82-game schedule, the Flyers will get the chance to face teams from outside their division once again as the NHL looks to return to normal. In fact, they’ll open up their season against a team they haven’t played in almost two years.
This will be the Flyers first matchup against the Vancouver Canucks since November 25th, 2019, where the they won 2-1 at the Wells Fargo Center. It will be the first regular season game at full capacity and with it being on a Friday as well it should be a packed building.
The Flyers haven’t lost to the Canucks at home since 2017 and have a record of 42-21. The Canucks went 23-29-4 a season ago as they finished in last place in the North Division. Some of the notable transactions for the Canucks this offseason was the addition of Oliver Ekman-Larsson
and release of Braden Holtby. Outside of that, the team has virtually remained the same.
It should be a really fun game to watch, especially as a Flyers fan. The team will also be giving out schedule T-Shirts as well. If you choose to only go to one game this season, pick this one. It will feel like no other game you have been too.
October 18th: Flyers vs Kraken
The highly anticipated new franchise of the NHL is coming to Philadelphia for the Flyers second game of the season. Unlike when Vegas came into the league, the Kraken were a surprise with the picks and moves they made. Ron Francis understands the current flat cap era and built a team where he has plenty of wiggle room for the future.
This Kraken team is filled up of role players and young talent. With Flyers ex-headcoach Dave Hakstol leading the way, this tells me that the Kraken are not trying to be 100% competitive but are building for the future.
Just because a team isn’t built around superstars doesn’t mean you should sleep on them and take them lightly. This will be a game for the Flyers to take early on in the season to help build some confidence and get things rolling early.
November 2nd: Coyotes vs Flyers
With the current state of the Coyotes, they would not be a typical marquee matchup, but this comes with the return of Shayne Gostisbehere for the first time as a member of the Coyotes. While the game may not be a rivalry game or a team’s first game against the Flyers, it will still be an emotional game for both some of the players and Gostisbehere himself.
Shayne was a Flyer for seven years and was one of the heart and souls on this team. He wore his emotions and heart on his sleeve. Gostisbehere played 381 games and scored 60 goals and recorded 159 points in his career. He will also go down as one of the top point getters in franchise history as a D man.
The Coyotes come into this season after finishing in fifth place in the West Division. The Yotes went 24-26-6 with 54 points. They missed the playoffs by nine points. Emotions will run high and expect the fans to give Gostisbehere a standing ovation.
November 18th: Back to back Stanley Cup Champ Lightning vs Flyers
The last time these two teams met was during the seeding games in the bubble in 2020. The Flyers absolutely dominanted in that last meeting, but Tampa got the last laugh winning the Stanley Cup that year while Philadelphia was sent packing by the Islanders. Tampa won the Cup again the past season while the Flyers were sent home early with no postseason.
While this will be the first of three meetings, this will be a big test. Kevin Hayes should also return around this time from his abdominal surgery. With a healthy team at full go, I think this will be one of the best matchups to watch this season.
November 26th (Black Friday): Hurricanes vs Flyers
The Flyers once again get another game at home for Black Friday. The last Black Friday game was against the Detroit Red Wings where Philadelphia dominated them 6-1. This is one of my favorite games to attend in the year because of the rowdiness of the fans and the energy they bring.
The Flyers last played the Hurricanes on March 5th, 2020, where they won 4-1. They also looked good against the Hurricanes in that season. The Hurricanes come into this season after finishing first in the Central Division going 36-12-8 and finishing with 80 points. They got bounced in the second round of the playoffs by Tampa Bay.
November 30th: Islanders vs Flyers
The Flyers and Islanders have been such a great matchup to watch in the Metropolitan division for the last two years. Whether it was playoffs or a regular season game, these two teams do not disappoint. The Islanders were the only team that the Flyers really showed up against last season as well so they may still have some feelings from the bubble lingering.
The Islanders come into this season after coming in fourth place in the East Division. They finished 32-17-7 with 71 points. The Islanders were bounced in the third round by Tampa for the second year in a row. The Flyers lost their last game to the Islanders 1-0 in overtime on April 18th. It was a really good game where they seemed to put things together and just lost off a bouncing puck off of Sanheim.
With both teams making some additions and having good coaching staffs with young talent. These two teams will be the matchup to watch inside of the Metro besides the Capitals vs Rangers.
January 6th: Penguins vs Flyers
I really do not have to explain why this is a game to be at. The Flyers and Penguins have been a must see game for years. The rivalry extends to not only the team but the fans as well. This will be the second matchup of four this season against the Pens.
The Penguins finished in first place, going 37-16-3 and gaining 77 points. They ended up getting upset by the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. The last meeting between these two teams was May 4th where the Penguins beat the Flyers 7-3. I think this will be different since the fans will be in the building and ready to win the battle of the keystone state.
January 20th: Blue Jackets vs Flyers
Columbus is not much a of threat to anybody at this time, but this not the reason you should be at this game. Ex-Assistant captain, playmaker and overall great guy Jake Voracek will be coming home for the first time. It will be an emotional night, especially for Claude Giroux. This is the first time G doesn’t have anyone from “his core”.
Voracek returned home to where it all began after he was traded for Cam Atkinson. He played in Columbus for three seasons before he was dealt to the Flyers in the 2011-2012 season. This would have been Jake’s 10th year with the organization. All time he has played 968 games and scored 216 and recorded 522 assists for a total of 738 points.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming into this season after coming in last place in the Central Division, going 18-26-12 and recording 48 points. This team is under a new head coach and lost almost their whole core. It is most likely the start of a rebuild in Columbus which is a shame for Jake considering he was part of one for most of his career.
February 1st (Last game before Olympic break): Jets vs Flyers
This primarily isn’t because of the matchup itself, but because of where it lies. This will be the halfway point of the season. The Flyers need to be riding high at this point and carry momentum going into the break. This will also tell you what needs this team may need to try to acquire at the trade deadline as well.
April 29th: Senators vs Flyers
This is again not because of the matchup, but the end of the year. The Flyers hopefully at this point will be going on a playoff run. This has been a somber time most years and if you follow the metrics, it is every other year and we are on a year where the Flyers should make the playoffs. Regardless, you will not want to miss the last game of the season.