Flyers Hope to Make St. Louis Sing the Blues
By Scott Cole
The Flyers return home for a one-game homestand. Coming into town are the lowly St. Louis Blues; a team that is struggling more than the Flyers to find an offense. And while the Flyers’ goaltending and defense have kept them in games, St. Louis has been getting blown out game after game.
This game is a great opportunity for the Flyers to get their offense jumpstarted. Following a victory over the Ottawa Senators, the Flyers can use this matchup to build on that chemistry they need upfront.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 6-3-1 (14 points, 5th in Metro)
The heroes in the Ottawa game were Kevin Hayes, who scored on a tipped one-timer by Tony DeAngelo, and Zack MacEwen. Hayes’s goal, his second on the season, helped to snap a goalless steak from him.
With the Blues’ defense slumping as of late, this will be a great game for the Flyers’ offense to rally around each other and pile on the points. Look for Hayes to get Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee involved on that top line.
Likewise, it’s about time that the third line gets started. MacEwen scored on a rebound shot in the second period against the Senators to put the team up for good. I expect Morgan Frost and Tanner Laczynski, who’ve recently returned to the team, to find a groove. And with the Lukas Sedlak line, start to contribute from the bottom of the lineup.
Tony DeAngelo continues to be the quarterback on the defensive side. One of St. Louis’s Achilles heels this season has been their adeptness at getting penalized (more on this below). The Flyers’ power play is 19th in the league but scored five seconds in on a man advantage in Saturday’s game against Ottawa. Watch for them to capitalize on the Blues’ penchant for getting in the penalty box.
Carter Hart is continuing to play at an all-star level. And while it is very likely he could represent the team in the mid-season classic, his solid play is keeping this team in every game so far this season. As long as he stays healthy (crosses fingers), we may have a chance to be competitive this year.
Projected Lineup
Joel Farabee – Kevin Hayes – Travis Konecny
Noah Cates – Scott Laughton – Owen Tippett
Tanner Laczynski – Morgan Frost – Zack MacEwen
Nicolas Deslauriers – Lukas Sedlak – Wade Allison
Ivan Provorov – Tony DeAngelo
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Egor Zamula
Carter Hart
St Louis Blues
Record: 3-7-0 (6 points, 8th in Central)
It wasn’t that long ago that the Blues were considered one of the best teams in the NHL. They won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and were one of the better defensive-minded teams in the league. They could always be counted on to make a deep playoff run.
This year has been an absolute mess for the Blues. They are dead last in the league in goals scored with only 21 goals on the season. They lead the NHL with 55 penalty minutes. This has also helped to put them 28th overall on the penalty kill. And being down that much will limit a lot of your offensive capabilities.
On Monday night, they got dropped by the Bruins in a 3-1 loss. It was their seventh loss in a row after starting the season 3-0. Patrice Bergeron took advantage of the Blues, scoring on a power play to break a 1-1 tie. Jake DeBrusk also scored on a power play in the first period. See a pattern here?
Justin Faulk, a defender, is their top scorer with three goals and 10 points. Former Flyer Brayden Schenn is tied with Faulk with three goals and seven assists; including Monday night’s lone goal. Vladimir Tarasenko has four goals and five assists on the season. If you remember, Tarasenko hasn’t rescinded his trade request as far as anyone knows so that could be something to keep an eye on as this season progresses.
The Blues’ goalie is Jordan Binnington. He, like Hart, is one of the best young goalies in the game, though his numbers wouldn’t suggest that. He is 3-5-0 with a 3.37 goals against average and a .886 save percentage; although he has one shutout this season. He too faces a similar problem with a defense that has been leaking in front of him.
Considering the Flyers have also had trouble scoring this year, (31st in the league with 26 goals scored), the team could shake off some of their rust against the slumping Blues. Considering how much he’s played, including against the Bruins, it is likely the Flyers will face off against Thomas Greiss who is 0-2 in two starts with a 3.28 GAA and .915 save percentage.
Likewise, this is a team that has a lot of talent on it. The Flyers are the sort of team that the Blues will want to bounce back against. Look for them to come out hot and try to get a win. The Flyers’ best bet, as said earlier, is to let St. Louis rack up the penalties and keep them on the defensive for as much of the game as possible.
Projected Lineup
Brandon Saad – Ryan O’Reilly – Ivan Barbashev
Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Vladimir Tarasenko
Jake Neighbours – Brayden Schenn – Jordan Kyrou
Alexei Toropchenko – Noel Acciari – Nathan Walker
Nick Leddy – Colton Parayko
Torey Krug – Justin Faulk
Niko Mikkola – Robert Bortuzzo
Thomas Greiss
Where, When, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 FM
Live Stream: Fubo Tv
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