The Philadelphia Flyers (2-1-0) were victorious in their home opener versus the Vancouver Canucks (2-1-0) on Tuesday, 2-0. Egor Zamula scored the game-winner. Carter Hart notched the shutout, praising his teammates for carrying a two-goal lead into the second period.
“We did an unbelievable job keeping the pressure on them; establishing our forecheck, throwing pucks to the net, generating some chances off rebounds, [and] making some plays. We played real well tonight.”
Carter Hart; 10/17/2023
Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers (1-2-0) visit the Wells Fargo Center.
Last season, the Flyers split their series with the Oilers, 1-1-0. Hart notched a shootout win, 2-1, on home ice.
Edmonton Oilers
In ten days, the Oilers will battle the Calgary Flames (1-1-1) in the 20th Anniversary of the first outdoor hockey game in Edmonton. Before looking ahead to the next ‘Battle of Alberta,’ the Flyers are in the way, making noise.
“We’re worried about tonight’s game and them [Foegle, Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman] replicating the same things that went into having a good game. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to lead to a certain amount of goals for, but if they continue to do good things over time, those statistical results usually take care of themselves.”
Jay Woodcroft; 10/19/2023
Evan Bouchard, along with five more Oilers (Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Warren Foegele), tallied multiple points during the 6-1 stomping of the Nashville Predators (1-3-0). Bouchard had two assists, including a primary on the game-winner by Hyman. He is a capable playmaker on a high-octane offense, especially on the powerplay.
Here’s the tentative lineup for the Edmonton Oilers, per Tony Brar:
Kane-McDavid-Draisaitl
Foegele-Nugent Hopkins-Hyman
Holloway-McLeod-Brown
Erne-Janmark-Ryan
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Desharnais
Campbell
(Skinner)
Philadelphia Flyers
Rasmus Ristolainen remains out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury. Healthy scratches tonight include Morgan Frost and Zamula.
Benching Frost created an unnecessary stir. He is either visible or invisible, with no gray area. Bobby Brink was more of a threat in the offensive zone against the Columbus Blue Jackets (1-2-0) and Tyson Foerster notched an assist in a woeful team performance against the Ottawa Senators (3-1-0). The decision to sit Frost doesn’t come easy, but it makes sense while two other forwards are playing better.
“I don’t want to debate the whole thing in public, but I will give you this. Frosty [Frost] didn’t play bad, but others have played better.”
John Tortorella; 10/18/2023
Emil Andrae will check into the lineup in place of Zamula. Zamula scored his first NHL goal in the home opener versus the Canucks, but Tortorella is sticking to his guns about managing the youth on defense with the playing time Marc Staal receives.
Sean Couturier settled into form on Tuesday. His penalty shot goal was a thing of beauty, reminding everyone that the Flyers do have a star, and it’s the former Frank J. Selke Trophy winner. Couturier going head-to-head with McDavid will be the top matchup to watch; the game within the game.
Here’s the tentative Philadelphia Flyers lineup:
Tippett-Couturier-Atkinson
Konecny-Laughton-Foerster
Farabee-Cates-Brink
Deslauriers-Poehling-Hathaway
York-Sanheim
Staal-Walker
Andrae-Seeler
Hart
(Ersson)
Place Your Bets (via DraftKings)
Philadelphia Flyers (+164)
Edmonton Oilers (-198)
Evan Bouchard over .5pts (-166)
Sean Couturier over .5pts (-125)
Game Information
You can watch the Flyers host the Oilers at the Wells Fargo Center on ESPN+ and Hulu. The radio broadcast will air on 97.5 the Fanatic and Flyers Radio 24/7. Faceoff is at 7:30pm.
(Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)
