The Tortorella era is finally set to begin in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers will be taking on their Metropolitan rivals, the New Jersey Devils. The Battle of the Turnpike is a rivalry like no other and while over the years it seems like it hasn’t been as big as the past, it is still a rivalry game to start the season and a chance for this new, John Tortorella coached team to start things off right.
“You can’t win them all if you don’t win the first one” Kevin Hayes once said while mic’d up.
While a lot of experts and a high majority of the fanbase do not expect the Flyers to win every game, at least winning the first one gives you the chance to win them all. Under Torts, they should potentially win more games than they did in the previous season.
The Devils and Flyers were only separated by two points last season. Both teams were bottom feeders, and both are looking for better seasons in this 2022-2023 NHL season. This means both teams are going to come out hard and try to get on the right track from the very beginning.
Philadelphia Flyers
While the fanbase was expecting Johnny Hockey to be wearing a Flyers sweater on opening night, it did not unfold that way. Instead, Chuck Fletcher and John Tortorella will have 12 players that are 25 years and younger. While this was attempted before in the 2021 season, the players they have now are young, skilled and looking to prove that they belong.
"“I’m going to play the kids. We need to get a foundation going here. We need to get it back on the rails.” Tortorella said in a press conference discussing playing the young players. “Forget winning. I want a team that embodies Philadelphia”"
The system and style of game this Flyers team is going to use will be unlike anything we have seen here before. While AV tried to get them to play something similar, the difference is going to be the conditioning and training camp the Flyers endured. The biggest factor will be the amount of accountability and the standard that the players will be held to not only from Torts, but from each other as well.
With Couturier still being out, it left space wide open for the young guys to have a chance at making the opening night roster. Tanner Laczynski and Noah Cates took the opportunities presented to them and really put on a show. Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard are the two young guys on the defensive side who battled to win a spot on this roster with Ryan Ellis being put on the LTIR.
Carter Hart had good numbers for being on a bad team and having an extremely suspect defense. Hart should have an easier time this season with the new system having the wings cycle down to help the defense but also having some new defensive pairings. Hart didn’t play a single preseason game so this will be his first taste of action since being shut down last season with an injury. With Sandstrom’s injury, Samuel Errson will be backing up Hart after having an extremely impressive training camp and preseason showing.
Projected Lineup
Scott Laughton – Kevin Hayes – Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee – Noah Cates – Owen Tippett
James van Riemsdyk – Morgan Frost – Wade Allison
Nicolas Deslauriers – Tanner Laczynski – Hayden Hodgson
Ivan Provorov – Tony DeAngelo
Travis Sanheim – Justin Braun
Nick Seeler – Egor Zamula
Carter Hart
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils had just as an abysmal season as the Flyers did. Only finishing with two more points, the Devils just never seemed to put things together. The Devils always add and try to get better, but it just never seems to happen for them.
With so much young talent on this roster complimented with veterans, it just seems like the Devils are constantly outclassed and outworked. This may be on the coaching staff or that the players never have wanted it enough, but this team has the ability to be elite with the talent they have and the offensive firepower in their top six.
Losing Subban but adding John Marino should be a plus for this team and their defense. Subban was always known for his offensive abilities and lack of defensive prowess. Marino is the opposite and will help the shotty defensive core that is already there.
The Devils, going through almost as many goalies as the Flyers did the year Carter Hart debuted, have chosen their goalies. Bringing in Vitek Vanecek and sticking with MacKenzie Blackwood, the Devils are hoping to get some stability in the net.
Potential Lineup
Yegor Sharangovich – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Dawson Mercer
Tomas Tatar – Erik Haula – Alexander Holtz
Miles Wood – Michael McLeod – Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves – John Marino
Brendan Smith – Damon Severson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Where, When and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: ESPN+/Hulu
Radio: 97.5 the Phonetic
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.