Wrapping up a four-game home stand, the Philadelphia Flyers will celebrate Pride Night as they welcome in the Montreal Canadiens.
This is the first of three meetings between the two teams. They will not see each other again until Mar. 28 and Apr. 9. Going back to last year, Montreal took two of the three games in the series. With three seconds left in regulation, Cole Caufield forced overtime. And it was Nick Suzuki who would earn the Canadiens the 5-4 win in the shootout on Nov. 19. Montreal had a much easier time on Feb. 24. They went out of a 3-0 lead that ended in an easy 5-2 victory. Morgan Frost shined bright on Mar. 28 to help the Flyers earn a 3-2 win, avoiding the season series sweep.
Philadelphia Flyers
Fresh off the trade from Anaheim, Jamie Drysdale will make his Flyers' debut as Philadelphia intends to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. The decisions will become difficult on who sits on the backend as Drysdale's arrival gives the team eight defensemen currently on the NHL roster. He will be paired with Travis Sanheim as the number one duo. That pushes Cam York to Rasmus Ristolainen's side. Nick Seeler and Sean Walker will remain a pair, as Egor Zamula will wrap things up.
Drysdale's addition could be especially important regarding the power play. The unit has scored a goal in back-to-back games but has gone 2-for-8 collectively. Drysdale is expected to quarterback at least one of those units at the Flyers' sit 31st in the league. They moved up from last place after St. Louis failed to score on their power play on Tuesday night. They'll have a good chance as the Canadiens penalty kill is 28th in the league.
This will also be a special game as the Flyers will host Pride Night. While they cannot wear warm-up jerseys, Philadelphia will have plenty of other surprises in store throughout the night. Scott Laughton, a You Can Play ambassador, will take his Pride initiative to the next level as he has invited every group from the last three seasons to enjoy the game together. He also dedicated a suite to the staff of the Mazzoni Center, a nonprofit healthcare provider that serves the LGBTQ+ community. Per usual, he will meet all of these groups after the game.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Joel Farabee - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Scott Laughton - Cam Atkinson
Tyson Foerster - Morgan Frost - Bobby Brink
Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim - Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler - Sean Walker
Cam York - Rasmus Ristolainen
Egor Zamula
Sam Ersson
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal comes in having dropped four of their last six games. They haven't played since a 4-3 shootout victory over the Rangers on Jan. 6. So this will be a well-rested team. Meanwhile, this is the Flyers' fifth game this month and the fifth game in nine days. They have not had consecutive days off since the Christmas break.
As for scoring, captain Nick Suzuki leads the team in goals (12) and points (34). He has gone pointless in his last two outings, tied for the longest drought this season. More often than not, he is putting points up on the boards. He has six points in his last seven games against the Flyers. Right behind Suzuki is Cole Caufield, who has 11 goals and 27 points. He had goals in three straight games before his two-game pointless streak. Mike Matheson has played well for Montreal and could be on his way to a career season. He has six goals and 27 points, the latter tied for the third-highest of his career. He is eight points off a new best that he previously earned last season.
The Canadiens have had somewhat of a rotation in the net. Three goaltenders have taken the ice for Montreal this season. It will be the youngster Cayden Primeau making just his ninth start of the season. He last played on Dec. 28, where he gave up four goals in the loss to the Hurricanes. He has a 3.30 GAA and a .898 SV% on the season.
Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky
Brendan Gallagher - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson
Emil Heineman - Sean Monahan - Jesse Ylonen
Michael Pezzetta - Mitchell Stephens - Joel Armia
Mike Matheson -- David Savard
Kaiden Guhle - Justin Barron
Jayden Struble - Jordan Harris
Cayden Primeau
When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Live Stream: FuboTV
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