The Philadelphia Flyers will close out their West Coast road trip with a game against the Seattle Kraken, where they’ll be pushing to get back to winning ways after back-to-back losses against the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.
Despite the unfavorable results, the Flyers have displayed strong performances and have already shown improvements in areas that needed them (most notably on the powerplay). A win against this Kraken team will give them a welcome confidence booster going into their home opener on Saturday, and will lend some credibility to the efforts they’ve been making on the ice to start the season.
Another Chance For Fedotov
Ivan Fedotov may only have four NHL games under his belt, but his performances have caused some serious divide amongst Flyers fans, who debate whether or not he’s an NHL-caliber goaltender.
The Russian goalie is still getting his feet under him in this league and adjusting to how the game is played in North America, and the only way he’ll improve is to give him opportunities. It’s beneficial not just for Fedotov to get used to the NHL, but it’s necessary in order to give Sam Ersson the rest he desperately needed, but didn’t get, last year.
This goaltending tandem is still nervy, but the only way to grow it is through experience and showing faith in Ersson and Fedotov’s abilities.
Comeback Kids
Going down 2-0 in a game isn’t ideal for really anyone, but it might be they key to a Flyers victory in Seattle!
The Kraken have a serviceable 2-2 record, but have had issues holding onto leads. For a well-conditioned Flyers team that can keep up the energy across 60 minutes (plus overtime!), they could very well wear down the Kraken and pull out a win, even if they start on the back foot.
Special Teams, Special Players
One of the biggest talking points to come out of the Flyers camp right now is the fact that the powerplay is actually looking pretty good (currently 26.7%)—a huge jump from having the worst PP in the league the last few years (they finished last season at around 12%).
Fans have also seen impressive outings from individual players, most notably Matvei Michkov, who scored his first and second NHL goals against the Oilers on Tuesday. Morgan Frost, Jett Luchanko, and Joel Farabee have also had solid games that have contributed greatly to how dangerous the Flyers have looked in front of the net (even if they’re finishing still needs some work).
Projected Lines
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards:
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Matvei Michkov
Joel Farabee – Jett Luchanko – Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster – Sean Couturier – Bobby Brink
Scott Laughton – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Defense:
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Erik Johnson – Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula – Rasmus Ristolainen
Starting Goalie:
Ivan Fedotov
Seattle Kraken
Forwards:
Jared McCann – Shane Wright – Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz – Chandler Stephenson – Oliver Bjorkstrand
Eeli Tolvanen – Matty Beniers – Andre Burakovsky
Tye Kartye – Yanni Gourde – Brandon Tanev
Defense:
Vince Dunn – Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak – Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans – Will Borgen
Starting Goalie:
Philipp Grubauer
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