The Tampa Bay Lightning are coming to Broad Street, and the Philadelphia Flyers are desperate to break out of their losing skid. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of puck drop.
The Game
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
How to watch: NBCSP, FDSNSUN, ESPN+
Storylines to Watch
Will Ersson bounce back?
Sam Ersson has seen better days. Over the last two weeks, the 25-year-old goaltender has allowed an average of 5.05 goals against per game while sporting an abysmal .820 save percentage en route to either losing or being pulled in each of his four starts.
Arguably no player on the Flyers needs a strong outing more than Ersson. Unfortunately, the Lightning aren’t exactly a team known for making opposing netminders’ lives very easy. Only two teams — the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets — have scored more goals than the Lightning this season. And on top of that, the Bolts also boast one of the most efficient power plays in the league, converting on 26 percent of their opportunities on the man advantage.
Yeah. Beating this Lightning team is a pretty tall task.
From December 28 until the 4 Nations break, Ersson was playing like one of the best goalies in hockey. But since representing Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, his play has dipped dramatically. Consistency has been an issue for Ersson this season, and it’s beginning to impact his long-term outlook as the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie.
No Risto, and maybe no Kuch?
The Flyers will be without one of their better defensemen against the Lightning, making matters even more difficult for Ersson. But the Lightning may also be without their superstar winger.
Rasmus Ristolainen is “banged up” with an unspecified injury, Flyers head coach John Tortorella revealed Thursday morning. Egor Zamula is expected to replace him in the lineup. Ristolainen has completely reinvented himself this season after several years of being a complete liability on the Flyers’ back end, and his absence will be felt when the Lightning march into Wells Fargo Center.
However, something to monitor with Ristolainen out of the lineup will be the look of the top power-play unit. Ristolainen has been manning the point on the top unit recently, but his absence will likely open the door for Jamie Drysdale to take the reins.
Drysdale is looking like a new, confident player after a rough start to the season. He’s found the back of the net in each of his last two games and is finally showing glimpses of the high-end talent the Flyers were hoping they were getting when they acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks for Cutter Gauthier last year.
For the Lightning, Nikita Kucherov was not on the ice for morning skate. The superstar winger did not play in the third period of Tampa’s contest against the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night.
Can TK break his slump?
Travis Konecny has been going through it for some time now. After logging 21 goals and 58 points in his first 51 games of the season, Konecny has since entered a rough stretch that is beginning to degrade what has otherwise been an outstanding campaign. Since January 29, he’s managed just seven points in 15 games, and he’s been held to just two goals since January 9.
In other words, he’s currently averaging less than a goal per month at his current pace.
The Flyers’ reigning Bobby Clarke Trophy recipient is still leading the team in goals, assists and points, but his recent struggle to find the back of the net has unquestionably been a clear source of frustration as of late. He’s bound to heat up eventually, and perhaps that turnaround will begin against Tampa.
Projected lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Tyson Foerster — Noah Cates — Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett — Sean Couturier — Matvei Michkov
Olle Lycksell — Ryan Poehling — Bobby Brink
Nic Deslauriers — Rodrigo Abols — Jakob Pelletier
Cam York — Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler — Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae — Egor Zamula
Sam Ersson
(Ivan Fedotov)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jake Guentzel — Brayden Point — Nick Paul
Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli — Zemgus Girgensons
Gage Gonclaves — Yanni Gourde — Oliver Bjorkstrand
Cam Atkinson — Luke Glendening — Mitchell Chaffee
Victor Hedman — JJ Moser
Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg — Nick Perbix
Jonas Johansson
(Andrei Vasilevskiy)