The Flyers last took to the ice on December 18th when they defeated the Ottawa Senators. So it has been over a week since they’ve last played a game. They will return to the ice this evening to take on the Seattle Kraken. It is their first ever trip to Climate Pledge Arena.
While this is their first trip there, it’s the second time the two teams have faced off. Philadelphia cruised to a 6-1 blowout of the Kraken back on October 18th. Three first period goals lead the way as the Flyers scored in each period, chasing Philipp Grubauer from the game early in the second period. Seattle would break the shutout in the same period, otherwise Hart stopped the other 24 shots he faced.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 12-12-5 (29 points, 6th in Metro)
Before the Flyers headed out for an early Christmas break, they were on a 4-0-1 stretch over their last five games. That came out a 0-8-2 stretch in which Philadelphia couldn’t get anything g to go well for them. Since Mike Yeo took over, the Flyers seem to be figuring out a new system that has worked well for them lately.
The bad news stemmed from Philadelphia having a few players enter COVID protocol after returning from the break. They will be without Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton and Carter Hart for the time being. Derick Brassard and Ryan Ellis, who are rehabbing seperate injuries, are also in protocol.
Max Willman, Morgan Frost, and Kevin Hayes have returned, so the Flyers did get some reinforcements back for this trip. Gerry Mayhew has been expected to make his Flyers debut last Tuesday before the game ended up being postponed. Felix Sandstrom is also on the trip and could make his NHL debut at some point.
Claude Giroux, Cam Atkinson, and Oskar Lindblom were played well as a trio in recent games. Giroux is second on the team with 11 goals and has four points in his last five games. Atkinson, leading the team with 12 goals, has six points in his last five. And while he only has three goals on the season, two of Lindblom’s goals have come in the last three games. He’s looked re-energized since joining this line.
It’ll be Martin Jones’ net for the time being as Hart waits out his time in protocol. Jones played in the Flyers last game on the 18th and will make his 10th start of the season. He currently holds a 3.33 GAA and a .907 SV%.
Projected Lineup
Farabee – Hayes – Konecny
Lindblom – Giroux – Atkinson
van Riemsdyk – Frost – Mayhew
Willman – Brown – MacEwen
Provorov – Braun
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Connauton
Jones
Seattle Kraken
Record: 10-17-3 (23 points, 8th in Pacific)
Seattle has had some COVID issues of their own as Ryan Donato, Mason Appleton, and Vince Dunn are all in protocol at the moment. The Kraken also lost one of their top forwards to injury. Brandon Tanev is out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Seattle did get some good news as Jamie Oleksiak Carson Soucy, Adam Larsson, Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell will all make their returns to the lineup. So while they will not ice a full lineup either, they did get some of their top players back in time for this matchup.
The Kraken have certainly been happy to have Jordan Eberle in their lineup during this time. He leads the team with 12 goals and 21 points. He is on a five-game goal drought, but has registered four assists during that span. Jared McCann has played well as he also has 12 goals and is third on the team with 17 points.
It’s been a tough go for Philip Grubauer as he’s looking for his first win since December 3rd, having dropped his last four starts. He was pulled after the second period in his last start, giving up three goals on 18 shots. He was in net the last time these two teams faced so he will clearly have revenge on his mind. He carries a 3.29 GAA and a .882 SV% into this one.
Projected Lineup
Schwartz – McCann – Eberle
Jarnkrok – Gourde – Blackwell
Johansson – Wennberg – Donskoi
McCormick – Sheahan – Geekie
Oleksiak – Giordano
Lauzon – Soucy
Fleury – Borgen
Grubauer
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 10:00 PM
Where: Climate Pledge Arena
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio Broadcast: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: Fubo TV
fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.