24 hours after earning a shootout victory, the Flyers will be right back at it against the Calgary Flames.
It’s likely to be an emotional one for the Flames especially. This will be their home opener when they are certain to honor Johnny Gaudreau before the game. Gaudreau spent the majority of his career with Calgary before signing with the Blue Jackets.
Teams are wearing special stickers on their helmets to honor both Johnny and Matthew for the first week of the season. But this will mean something extra to the Flames this evening.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers will try to go 2-0-0 to start the season and will do so with minimal changes to their lineup. There was no morning skate with the late game but Jett Luchanko was seen skating with the assumed extras. If he is indeed out of the lineup, it’s not necessarily an indictment of how the team feels. They are likely to give him bits and pieces to determine the next steps.
That would mark the season debut of Noah Cates. After a tough sophomore campaign, the Flyers hope they get the same player who excelled in his rookie season. Emil Andrae did arrive in Calgary with the absence of Nick Seeler. The latter was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 1. But Andrae will not be in the lineup against the Flames.
Ivan Fedotov will make his season debut. With a fresh slate ahead of him, it will be a much better judge of what he can bring to this team. With Alexei Kolosov waiting in the wings, all eyes will be on what Fedotov can do. It’ll start tonight against the Flames.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Matvei Michkov - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Tyson Foerster
Joel Farabee - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Scott Laughton - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Erik Johnson - Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula - Rasmus Ristolainen
Ivan Fedotov
Calgary Flames
The Flames opened their season with a come-from-behind win over the Canucks on Wednesday night. They trailed 4-1 after the first period and took a 6-5 victory in overtime. A gutsy win for a team looking for a fresh start.
It was Connor Zary who scored the game-winner in the extra period. The 23-year-old has a bright future ahead of him after a 14-goal, 34-point campaign in his rookie season. Anthony Mantha had two points in the win as he’s in his first season with the Flames after splitting time with the Capitals and Knights last season.
Dustin Wolf will get the start for the Flames. He is likely to be a potential goaltender of the future for Calgary if he develops well. In 17 games last season, Wolf posted a 3.16 GAA and a .893 SV%
Flames Projected Lineup
Samuel Honzek - Nazem Kadri - Andrei Kuzmenko
Connor Zary - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman
Jonathan Huberdeau - Martin Pospisil- Anthony Mantha
Ryan Lomberg - Justin Kirkland - Adam Klapka
Mackenzie Weegar - Daniel Miromanov
Kevin Bahl - Rasmus Andersson
Jake Bean - Brayden Pachal
Dustin Wolf
When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 10:00 PM
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTv
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.