There is something about interim head coaches and their ability to be blunt. Mike Yeo put it on his players following a brutal loss to the Minnesota Wild, 5-4.
“Winning hockey might be bearing down and getting the puck out of your zone. Winning hockey might be taking a hit to make a play to advance the puck to make sure you get the puck deep, or even if you don’t, keep it in front of you. These are the things we’re showing on video, and we’ll continue to show, but it’s got to come from them. That’s what it comes down to right now. We can keep preaching it, keep trying to motivate. I love this group, I believe this group, but they have to grab a hold of this.”
Mike Yeo; 3/3/2022
Derick Brassard owned the accountability of his performance, visiting Yeo before practice.
Yeo struck a chord, relentlessly challenging his roster on a nightly basis in the middle of a stuck season. Brassard made a rookie mistake, leaving Carter Hart out to dry, surrendering a valuable goal to the Wild. An NHL veteran of fifteen seasons, Brassard knew it was unacceptable.
The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, 4-3. Brassard was a top performer. Cam Atkinson and Joel Farabee headlined the stat sheet, but in-between was Brassard. Could the response to Yeo extend to a two-game winning streak? It would be the first February 1st, 2022; the Flyers defeated the Winnipeg Jets following the Los Angeles Kings two days earlier.
Vegas Golden Knights (32-21-4; 68pts)
It’ll be the first time Jack Eichel faces the Philadelphia Flyers as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. They’re still without Mattias Janmark, Nolan Patrick (upper body,) Mark Stone (back,) Brayden McNabb, and Alec Martinez (face.)
Here’s the projected lineup for the Golden Knights:
Pacioretty-Eichel-Roy
Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith
Carrier-Stephenson-Amadio
Dadonov-Leschyshyn-Kolesar
Hague-Pietrangelo
Theodore-Whitecloud
Hutton-Coghlan
Lehner
(Brossoit)
Vegas hasn’t confirmed their starting goaltender for tonight. Robin Lehner (21-14-1, 90.9%SV, 2.79GAA) was victorious against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, 2-1. With rest in between, Lehner will likely start again tonight.
Everyone will have their eyes on Eichel, but the player I’ll put the spotlight on is Nicolas Hague (50.8%CF, +12, 68BLK, 25TK.) He isn’t as flashy as Shea Theodore or Alex Pietrangelo, but he’s got a knack for forcing takeaways. Neutral zone battles set the pace when playing the Flyers. Hague is disruptive in the neutral zone with Pietrangelo, which could spring Eichel into a few favorable scoring chances.
A Philadelphia Fly-By
Nick Seeler returns to the lineup. Unfortunately, Kevin Connauton was injured Saturday and will join Sean Couturier (back,) Nate Thompson (shoulder,) and Ryan Ellis (lower body.)
Here’s the projected lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers:
Giroux-Laughton-Konecny
Farabee-Brassard-Atkinson
Lindblom-Hayes-van Riemsdyk
Mayhew-Brown-MacEwen
Provorov-Braun
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Yandle-Seeler
Hart
(Jones)
Carter Hart (10-18-6, 91%SV, 2.94GAA) will start. Last time out, he swallowed a tough loss to the Minnesota Wild. Against the Vegas Golden Knights, Hart is 1-1-0 in his career with an 89.6%SV and 4.06GAA.
Travis Konecny (9G, 23A) is one of the unluckiest shooters in the NHL this season. He’s had many chances but can’t cash in. It hasn’t stagnated his point production, however. He’s recorded eight points in the last thirteen games, including a seven-game streak. Though he couldn’t find the stat sheet against the Chicago Blackhawks, his two-hundred-foot game during even-strength hockey remains one of the best on the team.
Props/Prediction
If you can find a prop bet for Konecny to register a point, think about taking that bet. He averages a point per game against the Vegas Golden Knights over his career. The money line has the Philadelphia Flyers at +155; Golden Knights favored at -180. Tonight’s over/under is set at six goals per DraftKings.
Flyers 2, Golden Knights 3
(Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre)
