Just one day after an embarrassing 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres despite originally holding a 2-0 lead, the Flyers travel back to Philadelphia the host the Sabres on Easter Sunday. Interim head coach Mike Yeo said he felt the Flyers got off to a great start, but got dominated in the second period, which led to the blown lead. This continues to be a problem for the Flyers this year, who are certainly playing with a ton of heart and effort, but it just has not translated to earning wins and points.
Last night’s loss to the Sabres was the first NHL meeting between Flyers forward Bobby Brink and Sabres defenseman Owen Power, who last faced off in the Frozen Four when Denver beat Michigan thanks to Brink’s clutch game-winning assist. Brink also recorded an assist vs Buffalo on Saturday night, but unlike their NCAA matchup, Owen Power and the Sabres came away with the win. Brink and the Flyers will hope to reverse the fortune back in Philadelphia’s favor with a rematch on Easter Sunday.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 23-41-11 (57 pts, 8th in Metro)
The Flyers still have a number of injuries to their lineup, with guys like Carter Hart, Cam Atkinson, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Patrick Brown and Nick Seeler all missing from the lineup tonight vs the Sabres. It appears Felix Sandstrom, who was once again called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms under emergency conditions, will get the start in net with veteran goalie Martin Jones prepared to back him up.
Projected Lineup
Cates — Hayes — Konecny
van Riemsdyk —Laughton — Tippett
Farabee — Frost — Brink
Lindblom — Thompson — MacEwen
Provorov — Sanheim
Zamula — Connauton
Yandle — Attard
Sandstrom
Buffalo Sabres
Record: 28-38-11 (67 pts, 6th in Metro)
The Sabres, like the Flyers, are hoping that their youth can be a big part of the future. Tage Thompson, who was acquired in the Ryan O’Reilly trade, has emerged as a 1C for Buffalo. Thompson has career highs in every category. He leads the Sabres with 34 goals and 61 points.
Rasmus Dahlin has also posted career highs in goals (11), assists (37), and points (48). The former number one pick in 2018 has been having a solid season for the Sabres.
The future of the Sabres has shown even more recently with the signing of Owen Power, who finished his collegiate career this past season. He recorded his first career assist in the loss to the Blues on April 14th, his second career game. The defensemen spent two seasons at the University of Michigan prior to turning pro.
Projected Lineup
Jeff Skinner — Tage Thompson — Victor Olofsson
Peyton Krebs — Casey Mittelsadt — Alex Tuch
Rasmus Asplund — Dylan Cozens — Kyle Okposo
Anders Bjork — Zemgus Girgensons — Vinnie Hinostroza
Jacob Bryson — Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power — Henri Jokiharju
Mattias Samuelsson — Casey Fitzgerald
Dustin Tokarski
When, Where & How to Watch
Time: 5:00 pm EST
Place: Wells Fargo Center
TV Broadcast: NBCSP
Radio Broadcast: 97.5 FM
Live Stream: Fubo TV
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