Following a wild weekend in Philadelphia that saw a win over Minnesota and a loss to Montreal, the Flyers take a short trip north to Boston, Massachusetts for a battle with the Boston Bruins tonight at TD Garden. Philadelphia (2-6-1) enters the game with just one win over the last 8 games and allowing the most goals in the league at more than 4 goals per game.
The mighty Boston Bruins enter at a surprising .500 record at 4-4-1. The Bruins have also dealt with a leaky goalie situation following a Jeremy Swayman holdout to start the season. Boston sits tied for 24th in goals allowed over their first nine contests.
Can Philadelphia rebound to the form they found on Saturday against Minnesota, or will it be another typical slashing from the claws of the Bruins tonight in Beantown?
Philadelphia Flyers Looking Up In Metro Division
The Philadelphia Flyers have secured only five out of a possible 18 standings points this season leaving them in the cellar of the Metropolitain Division standings. Philly can still stay competitive in the division but they will need to acquire some standings points in a hurry. The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues present a chance to capitalize against teams that have also struggled to start the season.
With all of the conversation surrounding the goalie situation, the fascinating part is that the starting spot is not up for debate. Sam Ersson is the unquestioned starter of the club with a 2-2-1 record in five starts (and six games). Ersson has looked the part of a starting NHL goaltender with a 3.56 goal-against-average and an 87% save rate. Of course, the coaching staff would like to see that save percentage above 90% on the season, but the Flyers’ defensive deficiencies this year have impacted the goaltending numbers.
While the Flyers were outskated by Montreal on Sunday, the debut of goalie Aleksei Kolosov was notable. The rookie goalie stopped 20-of-24 shots in his first NHL game. The 22-year-old netminder is the first-ever Belarussian goalie to start an NHL game. The first comments in the post-game presser from John Tortorella spoke to the goalie’s performance despite a loss. “I thought our goalie played was good,” said Tortorella. “I thought he made some really good saves.”
The City of Motherly Love?
Several moms of Flyers players are on the single-game road trip to Boston. John Tortorella had no comment besides he was “glad they are with their moms”. The coach was far more concerned with hockey-related questions. These forever hockey parents attended the pre-game skate at TD Garden this morning and will have a great view to watch their sons battle the Bruins in enemy territory. Listen for the loud cheers, while the rest of the Garden groans and you might hear them on a Flyers goal.
In his pregame media availability earlier today, John Tortorella told the media that Sam Ersson will start tonight for the Flyers. Philadelphia will feature largely the same lineup as Sunday night except for a winger swap of skill (Bobby Brink) for toughness (Nick Deslauries). Brink, 23, has 4 goals in his last 22 games dating back to last March.
The main message from Tortorella is “try to get better today because we have a number of things we need to get better at.” The coach later continued, “Some things going on that are just unacceptable. But you can’t just keep beating your team down. We had a very important meeting this morning showing some good things going on. But a lot of it is not to the standard of the way we do things”
Middling Boston Bruins in Atlantic Divison
It looked like things were on the right track for Boston with wins in three of their first five games and the only two losses coming to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Last week presented a speed bump for Boston with three losses against the Western Conference, before a 4-3 overtime win against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
The usual suspects sit atop the leaderboard for the Bruins. David Pastrnak leads the teams with 6 goals and 8 points. Brad Marchand leads in assists with 5. Goalie Jeremy Swayman is 3-3-1 in seven games with a 2.97 goals-against-average and an even 90% save mark.
Philadelphia and Boston will battle twice this week. Tonight is the first fight with the rematch occurring this weekend in South Philadelphia. Which version of the 2024 Boston Bruins will Philly encounter up in Beantown?
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
