The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off a tough loss to the Boston Bruins. It looked like they might be able to pull off a comeback win but it wasn't in the cards for them.
Now, they have an equally as tough opponent in the Toronto Maple Leafs. This Leafs team beat the Flyers last week so they need to try and beat them to avoid the skid lasting another game.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are in the middle of the toughest stretch of the season. Things are not going well for them right now and they are fighting for their playoff lives.
If they don't get it together soon, regardless of their opponent's status, they are going to find themselves on the outside looking in. For an unexpectedly good season, they want to finish the job.
The big story coming into this game for the Flyers is the status of Sean Couturier. 34 days after being named the captain, he is being healthy scratched by John Tortorella. Couturier is upset about it but all he can do is continue working to be better.
The Flyers need to win this game. Expect every single player in this lineup to give their best because they are in big trouble if they lose.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee - Scott Laughton - Bobby Brink
Tyson Foerster - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Nicolas Deslauriers - Noah Cates - Olle Lycksell
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Marc Staal - Ronnie Attard
Egor Zamula - Erik Johnson
Sam Ersson
Felix Sandstrom
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the best teams in the NHL right now. They are 6-3-1 in their last ten games. They can win games in a lot of different ways but their skill up front is where they make their money as an organization.
They have studs like William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly amongst others but nobody is as dangerous as Auston Matthews.
Matthews currently leads the NHL in goals with 55. He is seven goals ahead of Sam Reinhart who is in second. There is a good chance he gets over 60 again and there is a thought that he can challenge for 70.
It is going to be interesting to see what the centers, including Matthews, can do to the Flyers while Couturier is scratched.
The Leafs are 38-19-9 for 85 standings points. They are in the third place of the Atlantic Division which is good for a playoff berth. They lead the fourth place (Wild Card holding) Tampa Bay Lightning by seven points.
They need to keep winning to hold off from being a Wild Card team. Because of this, the Flyers need to expect them to be at their best.
Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
Tyler Bertuzzi - Auston Matthews - Pontus Holmberg
Bobby McMann - Max Domi - William Nylander
Matthew Knies - John Tavares - Nicholas Robertson
Connor Dewar - David Kampf - Ryan Reaves
Morgan Rielly - T.J. Brodie
Simon Benoit - Jake McCabe
Joel Edmundson - Timothy Liljegren
Ilya Samsonov
Joseph Woll
When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
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.