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Game 4: Flyers @ SEA, Prospect Pipeline |
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Update: Flyers Projected Starting Lineup
Based upon reported morning skate combinations in Seattle and the comments of Flyers head coach John Tortorella, there are two changes in the Fiyers starting lineup from Tuesday's game in Edmonton: Joel Farabee and Tyson Foerster switch linemates and Ivan Fedotov is in goal rather than Samuel Ersson (meaning that Ersson will get the home opener against Vancouver on Saturday evening.
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 39 Matvei Michkov
86 Joel Farabee - 17 Jett Luchanko - 11 Travis Konecny
71 Tyson Foerster - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Bobby Brink
21 Scott Laughton - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
77 Erik Johnson - 9 Jamie Drysdale
5 Egor Zamula - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
82 Ivan Fedotov
[33 Samuel Ersson]
PP1: Drysdale, Tippett, Frost, Konecny, Michkov
PP2: Zamula, Foerster, Luchanko, Farabee, Brink
Scratches: 27 Noah Cates (healthy), 44 Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy), 36 Emil Andrae (healthy), 24 Nick Seeler (IR, knee).
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Preview: Flyers @ Kraken
The Philadelphia Flyers (1-1-1) are in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday to take on the Seattle Kraken (2-2-0) at Climate Pledge Arena. Game time is 10:00 p.m. EDT.
Thursday's game is the final game of the season-opening road trip for the Flyers but just a continuation of an grueling slate of time zone hopping that will continue into this week. Last Friday, the Flyers were in the Pacific time zone for the opener against the Canucks. On Saturday and Tuesday, Philly was on Mountain Daylight Time to play the Flames in Calgary and the Oilers in Edmonton. Now, the Flyers are back on Pacific Daylight Time in Seattle.
On Friday morning, the Flyers will come back east across three time zones with a quick turnaround to host the Canucks in the home opener on Saturday evening. I would expect Saturday's morning skate (if there is one) to be an optional skate.
First things first: the Flyers need a win on Thursday to secure a winning trip. Considering the sheer amount of travel involved and the on-paper quality of opposition (especially the Canucks and Oilers), coming away with five of eight points would be a good result from getting a swatch of inter-conference road games out of the way right off the bat.
The Flyers checked into their hotel in Seattle on Wednesday evening. There is a morning skate (afternoon in EDT). Lines below are from Tuesday in Edmonton. The projected lineup will be posted as a blog update later today atop the preview.
Tuesday's starting lineup was as follows:
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 39 Matvei Michkov
71 Tyson Foerster - 17 Jett Luchanko - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Bobby Brink
21 Scott Laughton - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
77 Erik Johnson - 9 Jamie Drysdale
5 Egor Zamula - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
33 Samuel Ersson
[82 Ivan Fedotov]
PP1: Drysdale, Tippett, Frost, Konecny, Michkov
PP2: Zamula, Foerster, Luchanko, Farabee, Brink
Scratches: 27 Noah Cates (healthy), 44 Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy), 36 Emil Andrae (healthy), 24 Nick Seeler (IR, knee).
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Prospect Pipeline
Last night, Brian Smith and I recorded the first 2024-25 season edition of the Prospect Pipeline podcast on the Flyers Broadcast Network. When the podcast goes live, I will post the link both here and on my social media.
In the 20-minute episode, Smitty and I discuss:
* Jett Luchanko's surprising spot on the Flyers' opening night roster, the traits that helped him earn a spot, his play in his first two NHL games, and prospects for staying beyond the ninth game in which he dresses in the starting lineip.
* The Phantoms' opening night win over the Hartford Wolf Pack and the team's upcoming weekend home-and-home set against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
* Goalie prospect Yegor Zavragin's excellent start to the 2024-25 KHL season at the tender age of 19.
* The early season CHL performances of new London Knights captain Denver Barkey, teammate Oliver Bonk, goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason, defenseman Spencer Gill, and more.