After a deflating loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flyers will be looking to make up for lost time against the Boston Bruins. The home team have already sailed past Boston once this season, but this time the Bruins are well rested.
A potent offense
Boston currently has four players who have amassed 10+ points this season, proving that they can carve open defenses in a variety of ways. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that their xGF% comes in at a staggering 52.9%. While their offensive output hasn’t necessarily married that number, we all know that they have the players to make up the difference.
Brad Marchand is undoubtedly the player who should be circled in red, but with Patrice Bergeron alongside him and David Pastrnak already up to 9 assists this season, the Flyers defense are going to have to find a way to play a complete 200-foot game for the entire matchup.
The defense has done a great job of negating the loss of Ryan Ellis. Justin Braun and Nick Seeler have been exceptional while Rasmus Ristolainen is bringing the necessary boom. Can the entire defensive group hang with such a deep team offensively?
It’s not just the stars of the show causing trouble. Charlie Coyle has been electric this season, scoring 5 goals and notching 3 assists. He has 11 shots over his past five games and is coming off of a two-goal outing against Montreal. Keeping an eye on him will be just as important as pocketing the dynamic Patrice Bergeron.
As a result, Martin Jones is probably going to be facing a lot of shots tonight. The veteran goaltender is enjoying somewhat of a resurgence this season, rocking a .931 save percentage. A big outing tonight will be welcomed.
Not so special teams
The big thing for Philadelphia coming into tonight’s game is the powerplay. The Flyers rank in the bottom five in the NHL when it comes to converting on the powerplay, with only 14.9% of their opportunities finding the back of the net. As for the Bruins, they’re stopping 82% of opposing powerplay chances, ranking in the upper echelon of teams in the league.
It should be worth noting that the Flyers have played the Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes, and the Penguins over the past two weeks, and all three teams possess top-5 PK units. This has likely played a significant role in skewing the numbers, but Philly should absolutely consider making some chances to their special teams units.
Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre
