The Philadelphia Flyers will be joined by a new face tonight as Cam York prepares to make his NHL debut. The team are preparing for their penultimate clash with the Washington Capitals tonight. Here is everything you need to know.
Cam York makes his debut
Down a defenseman for the next few games due to that Shayne Gostisbehere incident, the Flyers are turning to their youth to see what they’ve got in the tank. For former 14th overall pick Cam York, this means making his NHL debut.
York has been red-hot since appearing at Lehigh Valley, scoring 5 points (2G 3A) through his opening six AHL appearances. That alone is quite impressive considering he made the jump after a pandemic plagued year at Michigan. He didn’t take long to settle at all after racking up 20 points (4G 16A) in 24 games for the Wolverines.
The 20-year-old also brings a Gold Medal from the World Juniors to the table, having captained his side to glory. In total, he has played in 32 games for his country, amassing 28 points. 22 of those were assists.
Lining up on the right side, all eyes will be on Cam York tonight as he faces off against a physical Caps offense that have scored the second-most goals of any NHL team all season.
The Capitals
Tied for first in the East with the Penguins, the Capitals have once again proven themselves to be among one of the best teams in the league. The good news for the Flyers here is that both Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov could well be sidelined for this one, at least taking some of the intimidation factor out of the equation.
The Capitals boast a 5-1 record over the Flyers this season and have made mince meat of the team on most occasions. They’re averaging a whopping 4.53 goals per game against Philadelphia.
The Elephant in the room is that Tom Wilson will be in the lineup tonight and after all of the controversy that has followed him, there are bound to be fireworks if a frustrated Flyers team see red.
Michael Raffl will also be playing against his former team, which is going to be a pretty weird feeling for both parties. He’s scored 2 points in 7 games since joining the Caps.
The Flyers
After taking a thumping from the Penguins on Tuesday, Philadelphia will probably pack quite a punch tonight. Although their season is now lost and the team has spent most of the year in total disarray, there is now a flurry of young talent looking to prove their worth and make a statement for the offseason ahead. Some are vying for protection from the upcoming expansion draft, others simply looking to show that they’re ready to make the jump.
After an appalling season by anyone’s standard that has seen the team give up 3.6 goals per game and rank 30th in penalty kill, this might be the lone redeeming factor. If the prospects can inject some life and hunger into the lineup right at the last second, then we could be primed for a very eventful offseason and reminded that not all is bleak in the City of Brotherly Love.
Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire
