Flyers at Canadiens, Game 74: Notes, Lineups, And How To Watch

The Flyers have made it through the gauntlet. Now, they're rewarded with some much easier matchups. That starts with a visit to Montreal to take on the Canadiens.

Montreal and Philadelphia will meet twice in the final weeks of the season after last playing on Jan. 10. Jamie Drysdale made his Flyers' debut, recording an assist on the game-tying goal in the second period. Montreal had scored on its first two shots of the game, both deflected past Sam Ersson. A shootout was needed to decide things as Sean Couturier got the game-winning goal.

The two teams will meet in Montreal one more time on Jan. 9.

Philadelphia Flyers

After facing numerous playoff-bound and cup-contending teams, the Flyers will have a much easier road to finish the season. Five of their next six games are against teams on their way to being eliminated from playoff contention. They will see the Islanders and Rangers one more time. A date with the Devils comes in their second to last game, while a season finale against the Islanders could have large implications on the postseason.

The Flyers have just a one-point lead on the Islanders heading into this game. The Capitals have a harder road ahead of them, starting with their matchup against the Leafs tonight. That is followed up with a game against the Bruins. They will see Carolina and Tampa Bay down the stretch as well. Ottawa and Buffalo will be sure to put up a test as well. Philadelphia controls their destiny so as long as they win or find any ways to get points, they should be fine.

Philadelphia did get interesting news that could help them finish out the season. In a massive turn of events, Ivan Fedotov's contract with the KHL was terminated. Rumor has it that he could be en route to Philadelphia to begin his NHL career. Danny Briere couldn't confirm if that was the case and it's hard to say when Fedotov could arrive. But that would be huge to help Sam Ersson, in net one again, rest in the season's final weeks.

Cam Atkinson is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last five games. Noah Cates did not take part in the morning skate so it's possible Atkinson was just a fill-in, though the lines were shifted to accommodate Atkinson's presence. It's not the first time he has been scratched during the season. Atkinson has gone through long stretches without offense and could be feeling the effects of missing an entire season, similar to that of Couturier. Atkinson has one more year left on his contract, so unless the Flyers look into moving it this summer, he will finish it out in Philadelphia.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny

Tyson Foerster - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway

Cam Atkinson - Scott Laughton - Bobby Brink

Olle Lycksell - Sean Couturier - Cam Atkinson

Cam York - Travis Sanheim

Adam Ginning - Ronnie Attard

Egor Zamula - Erik Johnson

Sam Ersson

Montreal Canadiens

Give the Canadiens credit, they took down the Colorado Avalanche in their last outing. Nathan MacKinnon scored 43 seconds in and Nick Suzuki answered nine seconds later. Sam Montembeault was outstanding in net, stopping 27 of 28 shots. Montreal is in the bottom half of the league, but they have points in three of their last four games.

Nick Suzuki is the go-to player for Montreal. He leads the team in goals (29), assists (38), and points (67). He is one away from the first 30-goal season of his career and recently reached a new high in points with his goal against Colorado. The 24-year-old has steadily improved over his five-year career and Montreal rewarded him with the captaincy before the 2022-23 season. He has earned it.

Mike Matheson is also having a solid year at age 30. He reached the 10-goal mark for just the third time in his career and has a career-high 48 points. He has found a new gear since joining the Canadiens last season. Cole Caufield is another Canadiens player who has a new high in points. Caufield hit the 50-point mark this season, blasting past his career high of 43 points in 2021-22.

Canadiens Projected Lineup

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky

Brendan Gallagher - Alex Newhook - Joel Armia

Josh Anderson - Jake Evans - Jesse Ylonen

Michael Pezzetta - Colin White - Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Michael Matheson - Kaiden Guhle

Arber Xhekaj - David Savard

Jayden Struble - Jordan Harris

Cayden Primeau

When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen

Time:  7:00 PM

Where: Bell Centre

Watch: NBCSP

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Live Stream: FuboTV

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