Hockey is back as the Philadelphia Flyers will take part in their first preseason action. They will travel to Newark to take on the New Jersey Devils, who will also be playing their first game of the preseason. Ian Laperriere will handle the coaching duties in this one as he did for the first game last season. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
It will be the first game action for both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson as neither appeared in a game last season despite both being cleared at separate times in the year. In fact, Atkinson almost came back before a setback forced him to miss the season. Couturier, cleared toward the end of the year, was held out as a precaution. The two will no doubt be excited to get into some games during the preseason.
"“It’s been a year and a half. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while, all summer I’ve been thinking about it. Now I’m here. I’m just excited to get the warmups going, first shift out of the way and just play hockey. That’s what I miss most.” Couturier said after morning skate on Monday morning."
Tonight will be Cam Atkinson’s first game action since April 2022. pic.twitter.com/cCt9xair5d
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 25, 2023
This will also be the first opportunity for some of the prospects on the cusp to play with NHL talent. Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Elliot Desnoyers are among the forwards vying for a spot on the Flyers. Emil Andrae will get his own opportunity to show what he can do. Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom will split time in net, the former appearing in the first two periods while the latter will get the third. Each goaltender has something to prove so they’ll get the first chances to do that.
Travis Konecny is banged up as he was held off the ice for a second straight day. There isn’t any concern that it’s a serious injury, however.
Projected Lineup
While the Flyers held a morning skate prior to the game, their defensive pairings were jumbled so the exact pairings won’t be known until warmups.
Forwards
Joel Farabee- Sean Coutuier- Bobby Brink
Olle Lycksell- Morgan Frost- Cam Atkinson
Matt Brown- Denver Barkey- Tyson Foerster
Brendan Furry- Elliot Desnoyers- Samu Tuomaala
Defense
Cam York, Sean Walker, Emil Andrae, Helge Grans, Oliver Bonk, Nick Seeler
Goaltenders
Cal Petersen & Felix Sandstrom
The Devils did not run any lines or pairings ahead of the matchup as they’ll also be sending a group of players to Montreal. What we do know is that Vitek Vanecek will be getting the start and is expected to be in net for the first two periods. Erik Kallgren will be in net for the final period.
Forwards
Alexander Holtz, Tyce Thompson, Nico Hischier, Shane Bowers, Ondrej Palat, Michael McLeod, Timo Meier, Brian Halonen, Erik Haula, Jesper Bratt, Ryan Schmelzer, Josh Filmon
Defense
Brendan Smith, Dougie Hamilton, Cal Foote, Danil Misyul, Santeri Hatakka, Kevin Bahl
Goaltenders
Vitek Vanecek & Erik Kallgren
The Flyers are 3-6-1 in their last 10 preseason games against the Devils and are looking for their first win at the at the Prudential Center as they hold a 0-4-1 record there. The game will be streamed via the Devils website and will also be simulcasted on the Flyers site as well. Fans can also tune in to 97.5 The Fanatic to listen in.