The Flyers are coming back to the Wells Fargo Center today for a 3:30 matinee on Black Friday. They come home after an abysmal two game road trip in Florida. They are also currently on a four game losing streak as well, going 0-2-2. While they looked better in the Panthers game, they have not been able to put a full 60 minute performance together yet.
To say the least, the offense is pitiful. The power play is mediocre. If it wasn’t for Martin Jones and Carter Hart being absolute units in the net, the Flyers would be getting blown out by a lot more. Their schedule has not been easy and it is not going to get any easier. They have the Lightning again, the Rangers and the Avalanche. All of these opponents will be playing the Flyers within the next five games.
Philadelphia Flyers
8-6-4 (20 points, 6th in the Metro)
The Flyers have been downright embarrassing as of late. They look like a beer league team that has just been put together as a free agent team. Their last game against the Panthers was better but being better than atrocious isn’t much to brag about. The changes to the lines and spark of youth from Morgan Frost was something to build off of though.
This game is going to be a test for the Flyers. This will be a show of character and resilience amid a four-game losing streak. Injuries have played a role in this team’s inability to stay competitive, but every team has injuries and how you deal with the adversity that comes your way is the sign of a good team. A big difference is also calling up and sliding in players who will make a difference.
Nick Seeler has been okay but he is more of a seventh defenseman. He is serviceable and has played as well as he could, but he is no Ryan Ellis. The new pairings were better last night. Ristolainen and Provorov looked really comfortable together and fed off of each other’s play. Sanheim and Seeler were okay but weren’t as good as when Sanheim has played with Ristolinen. Yandle seemed to struggle a lot less playing along side Braun once more and giving Braun less time will let him rest more so he can continue to play some of the best hockey of his career.
Morgan Frost has brought something to this team that Max Willman has been incapable of doing and that is bringing a spark. Frost’s energy and smile could absolutely be felt through out the whole team against the Panthers and you can tell the team loves him. Frost played well slotted in between of Atkinson and Farabee. Given more playing time will allow Frost to look even better and even though he is up under emergency conditions due to Derick Brassard’s injury, I believe Frost should stick over Willman.
I could go on and on about how the offense and power play have been absolutely bad but I think I have done that more than enough.
Projected Lineup
Giroux – Couturier – Konecny
Farabee – Frost – Atkinson
Lindblom-Laughton-van Riemsdyk
Bunnaman-Thompson-MacEwen
Provorov – Braun
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Seeler
Hart
Carolina Hurricanes
14-3-1 (29 points, 1st in the Metro)
One of the best teams are coming into Philly for a Black Friday showdown. These two teams met once before where the Flyers gave the Hurricanes their only home loss of the season and will most likely be looking to give them a loss of their own on Broad Street.
The Hurricanes themselves are coming off of their west coast trip and are also looking to break a two-game losing streak. They lost to in overtime the Sharks followed by a regulation loss to the Kraken. The Hurricanes were just unable to score more then a goal in both games. They may be a tired team and just looking to play this game and head home for the first time since November 13th.
The Hurricanes are currently first in the league in goals against. They are pretty stingy when it comes to giving up goals and unluckily for the Flyers, this just makes it even harder for them. The Hurricanes will most not make it easy for them as they like to play a run and gun style of hockey due to the speed and skill of their top line alone. They also like to shoot the puck. If you were thinking that 20 shots against in the first period against the Bruins was a lot, then be ready. This team shoots first and asks questions later.
Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho have been torching the league once again. They both are a point per game player. Svechnikov currently has 19 points with seven goals and 12 assists. Aho has eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. To many people’s surprise, Tony DeAngelo has looked past his off ice issues and taken this second chance by the Hurricanes to heart. He currently has 17 points with four goals and 13 assists. DeAngelo has filled the void that Dougie Hamilton left when he signed with New Jersey in the offseason.
Frederik Andersen has been very good for the Hurricanes. Andersen was signed in the offseason as Petr Mrazek left in free agency. Both players pretty much traded teams. Andersen this year, with the help of a stellar defense, has been solid. Andersen has a record of 11-3-0 to go along with a 93.6 SV% and a GAA of 1.89. Andersen has 9 quality starts in 14 games and one shut out to show for it. Standing 6’4″ and 229 Lbs, the 32 year old has seem to found his groove early on in the season and is looking like a Vezina trophy winning candidate already.
Projected Lineup
Martinook – Aho – Jarvis
Lorentz – Trocheck – Teravainen
Svechnikov – Staal – Fast
Niederreiter – Kotkaniemi – Necas
Slavin – DeAngelo
Skjei – Pesce
Smith – Cole
Andersen
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 3:30 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio Broadcast: 97.5 the Fanatic
Live Stream: Fubo TV
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