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The Philadelphia Flyers (22-14-8) take on one of the hottest teams in the league, the Buffalo Sabres (24-16-4), as they kick off a quick two-game road trip, starting at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
It has not been so good for the Flyers, who have not earned two points in their last three games, and are 2-2-1 over the past five. The Sabres, on the otherhand, are one of the league’s hottest teams. While they are just 3-2-0 over their last five, the Sabres are 8-2-0 over their last 10, winning all but one in regulation.
Wednesday’s game is the season finale between these two teams, with the season series tied 1-1, with the Flyers outscoring the Sabres 8-7. The home team has won in each of the two games prior.
Wednesday is a big game for the Flyers, who have lost three straight and enter a critical stretch of games, crucial for their playoff hopes later in the season.
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EST at the KeyBank Center. Here is how the Flyers are expected to line up.
Read More: Flyers Postgame Blog: Team Needs More from Their Stars
Forwards
Trevor Zegras–Christian Dvorak–Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey–Sean Couturier–Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov–Noah Cates–Carl Grundstrom
Nikita Grebenkin–Rodrigo Abols–Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen
Cam York–Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae-Noah Juulsen
Nick Seeler-Ramsus Ristolainen
Goaltenders
Dan Vladar
Sam Ersson
Special Teams
PP1: York, Dvorak, Michkov, Tippett, Zegras
PP2: Ristolainen, Sanheim, Cates, Barkey, Grebenkin
PK1: Couturier, Dvorak, York, Sanheim
PK 2: Abols, Grundstrom, Seeler, Ristolainen
Read More: Flyers Face Critical Three-Game Stretch After Three-Straight Losses
This kicks off a very important stretch of games for the Flyers. With the Eastern Conference so close in the standings, it seems like almost every team is going to be in a dogfight come the end of the season. With three straight games vs. potential competition for a wild-card spot, it’s critical that the Flyers turn things around, and that starts on Wednesday. Can they do it?
With that, the Flyers’ biggest stars have been quiet. Matvei Michkov has not scored a goal since December 22nd and has not beaten a goalie since November 29th. Trevor Zegras is pointless in five of the last six, and Owen Tippett is pointless in four of the last six. Travis Konecny has been battling through injury. The Flyers need someone to step up and help dig them out of their slump.
The goaltender decision will be interesting. Wednesday is the first of a back-to-back, so it feels like a safe bet that we will see both goalies on the road. So, will we see how Dan Vladar responds immediately after a tough night, or will Sam Ersson get another chance to prove himself and turn things around? I’d lean toward Vladar vs. Buffalo, but you could go either way.
I expect both Bobby Brink and Jamie Drysdale to be questionable for Wednesday’s game. On Tuesday, Rick Tocchet said it was possible one or both would return for the game. If I had to take a guess, I’d lean towards a Brink return before Drysdale, but don’t rule out both.
TV: TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EST at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Read More: Flyers Injury Update: Defenseman Loaned Back to AHL, Good Sign for Drysdale
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