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The Philadelphia Flyers (8-5-2) return to action on Wednesday when they host the Edmonton Oilers (7-6-4) at 7:30 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Philadelphia has felt the home ice advantage this season, going 6-3-1 in South Philly, while the Oilers have had their share of struggles on road ice, going 2-5-2.
The Flyers will have a tough defensive matchup as two of the best forwards in the league come to town, but the possible return of a key two-way forward could have a significant impact on Philly.
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Here is how the Flyers are expected to line up.
Forwards
Trevor Zegras–Sean Couturier–Matvei Michkov
Owen Tippett–Christian Dvorak–Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster–Noah Cates–Bobby Brink
Nick Deslauriers–Rodrigo Abols–Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen
Cam York–Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler–Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae–Noah Juulsen
Goaltenders
Dan Vladar
Sam Ersson
Special Teams
PP1: Drysdale, Cates, Zegras, Foerster, Brink
PP2: York, Couturier, Konecny, Tippett, Michkov
PK1: Couturier, Konecny, Seeler, Sanheim
PK 2: Dvorak, Hathaway,York, Juulsen
Per head coach Rick Tocchet, Tyson Foerster is a game-time decision for Wednesday’s game. However, he said it feels like a “good possibility” that the winger will return to the lineup against Edmonton. With that, look for the Cates line to reunite. Tocchet said the forward lines won’t be official until a final decision is made on Foerster. If he cannot go, expect Carl Grundstrom or Nikita Grebenkin to draw in on the Cates line.
Speaking of that line, I fully expect Noah Cates’ ice time to mirror that of Connor McDavid. In all honesty, there is a decent chance that Sean Couturier’s time matches that of Leon Draisaitl. In Tuesday’s practice, Foerster and Bobby Brink played with Cates, and Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov were paired with Couturier. Will their time be impacted by matchups as well?
Nick Deslauriers came off the ice quite early at morning skate, and Grebenkin was out for an extended period of time with the scratches. That would indicate Deslauriers being back in the lineup.
Finally, the Flyers’ defense has been effective at keeping opponents on the perimeter, limiting shots from high-danger areas. Against a team as lethal as the Oilers, keeping them out of the slot will be a key to winning the game.
Last season, the Flyers went 1-0-1 against the Oilers in the season series.
The first meeting was early in the season in Edmonton. Matvei Michkov scored the first two goals of his NHL career in that meeting, both being first-period power-play goals. Bobby Brink would score a goal in the final minute of the second period after the Oilers scored twice to even the score.
Evan Bouchard would tie the game late in the third period, and Leon Draisaitl scored the overtime winner.
The second meeting was much later in the season in Philadelphia.
Michkov scored again early in the first vs. Edmonton, followed by two Oiler goals. Owen Tippett tied the game at two, followed by a Sean Couturier goal, giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead. Mattias Ekholm evened the score for the Oilers, but then the Flyers would go on to score three unanswered, with goals from Tippett again, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Rasmus Ristolainen. The Flyers won that game 6-3.
Matvei Michkov led the Flyers in points vs. the Oilers last season with five, three goals and two assists. He had the sole lead in goals and was tied with Couturier, Konecny, Zamula, and Morgan Frost with two assists.
Leon Draisaitl led the Oilers in points vs. Philly last season with four, two goals, and two assists.
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN+ (Stream)
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
The puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Nagging Problems Doom Flyers in Winnable Game
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