The Philadelphia Flyers are back on home ice Thursday night, and this one feels a little different. After two preseason games on the road with more minor-league heavy lineups, the Flyers are finally in front of their own crowd for the first time this preseason, with only two games left to sort out the roster and get the opening night picture into focus.
Puck drop against the Boston Bruins is set for 7 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
This is also the first chance this preseason for some of the Flyers’ veterans to skate together in a game setting, which should give the coaching staff a better read on who’s locked in and who’s still fighting for a spot. After Wednesday’s round of cuts, Philadelphia is down to 17 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies.
The forward group includes Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Nikita Grebenkin, Christian Dvorak, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, Noel Acciari, Cole Knuble, Tyson Foerster, Jett Luchanko, Jacob Gaucher and Porter Martone. On defense, the Flyers are rolling with Helge Grans, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Simon Benoit and Rasmus Ristolainen.
Among the names worth watching are Knuble and Luchanko, who get another preseason look as the roster decision window tightens. Michkov will also make his first preseason appearance, and he’s come into camp looking better conditioned and already showing signs of improvement from the start of last season.
In goal, with Dan Vladar still day-to-day, Joseph Woll and Aleksei Kolosov will be dressed for Philadelphia. Woll is expected to handle the full game.
Boston’s lineup features Alex Steeves, Brendan Gaunce, James Hagens, Brian Halonen, Ivan Ivan, Sean Kuraly, Joey Abate, Dans Locmelis, Riley Duran, Attilo Biasca, Lukas Reichel, Mikey Eyssimont and Jake Schmaltz up front. On the blue line, the Bruins have Henri Jokiharju, Frederic Brunet, Jordan Harris, Jonathan Aspirot, Billy Sweezey, Ty Gallagher and Charlie McAvoy. Michael DiPietro and Jiri Patera are listed in goal.
The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia and broadcast on Rock 104.1.
In Other News...
Flyers Are Still Chasing The Impact Forward This Roster Needs
The Flyers are still in the market for the kind of forward who can change the shape of a roster, with Dave Pagnotta saying on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio that the club remains interested in adding a star-caliber piece. Philadelphia has the cap room to work with and enough young talent it believes can keep growing, which gives the front office some flexibility as it keeps looking for ways to push the team closer to playoff status.
And this is not a case of a team passively waiting for the market to break its way. The Flyers have already shown a willingness to take a swing for a bigger-name addition, and the pursuit of impact help is still very much part of the plan. For a club trying to speed up its timeline, the search for that difference-making forward remains one of the more important storylines around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Suddenly Have Two Injury Questions Right Before Opening Night
The Flyers are heading into the final stretch of the preseason with a couple of health questions hanging over the roster. Goalie Dan Vladar left Tuesdays exhibition game after taking an upper-body injury, and the team is still sorting out what it means as opening night gets closer. On a club that already knows how quickly goalie depth can matter, any uncertainty there is worth watching.
Denver Barkey added another concern when he left practice early after dealing with a lower-body injury, putting his status in doubt for the preseason finale and maybe even the opener. Philadelphia is monitoring both players as the regular season approaches, and with the calendar tightening, the next few days could say a lot about how much lineup flexibility the Flyers will have when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Preseason Test Could Start Sorting Out Key Roster Battles
A mostly NHL Flyers lineup gets a useful preseason stress test against the Bruins, and for a team still sorting out the edges of its roster, these are the kinds of games that matter. Philadelphia will be without injured Dan Vladar and Denver Barkey, but the lineup still has plenty of names worth tracking, with Cole Knuble, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin all expected to be in the mix.
The night also carries a little extra weight in goal, where Joseph Woll is set for his first full game with the Flyers. Grebenkins return adds another layer of intrigue after his injury absence, giving the coaching staff another look at a player who has been out of game action since March 21 of last season. For a preseason meeting, there is more than enough here to start separating who is pushing for jobs and who still has more work to do. [Read more 🡒]