Game 3 Preview: Flyers vs. Bruins

In the third game of a four-game homestand to open the 2021-22 regular season, Alain Vigneault's Philadelphia Flyers (1-0-1) will take on Bruce Cassidy's Boston Bruins (1-0-0) in a nationally televised game at the Wells Fargo Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on TNT and 97.5 The Fanatic.

This is the first of three meetings this season between the Eastern Conference teams. The clubs will rematch in Philadelphia on Nov. 20 and January 13 at TD Garden in Boston. Last season, with temporary divisional realignment an an all intra-division schedule, the Flyers played the Bruins eight times. Things went poorly for the most part, with the Flyers only winning two of the eight games (2-4-2) and collecting six of 16 possible points.

Flyers Outlook

The Flyers are coming off a 5-4 (2-0) shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on opening night and then a 6-1 blowout victory against Seattle on Monday. The latter game, arguably was the first time since before the pandemic-driven "pause" in March 2020 that the Flyers outplayed an opponent overall in all three periods.

There will be three lineup changes for the Flyers in this game: 1) After missing each of the first two regular season games due to an upper-body injury suffered in the preseason finale, Rasmus Ristolainen is slated to make his Flyers debut. Nick Seeler will be scratched barring a setback to Ristolainen; 2) Martin Jones will make his first regular season appearance in net as a Flyer. Carter Hart played an uneven game in the opener but was outstanding against Seattle; 3) Rugged fourth-line winger Zack MacEwen, claimed off waivers from Vancouver last week, will also make his Flyers debut.


Bruins Outlook

A strong performance in goal by young netminder Jeremy Swayman and a two-goal performance by Brad Marchand (penalty shot in the first period, empty net goal late in the third) keyed a 3-1 opening night home win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Jake DeBrusk scored what proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third period; snapping a 2-2 tie.

Last season, the Bruins power play tortured the Flyers, going 10-for-20 over the first seven meetings before the Flyers finally had a 4-for-4 performance in the final meeting of the season. During the 2021 preseason, Boston struck for three power play goals against the Flyers. Needless to say, staying out of the box on undisciplined penalties and killing off whatever does get called will be paramount to the Flyers winning this game.

So, too, will finding an answer to the Boston top line. Last year, David Pastrnak recorded two separate hat tricks against the Flyers, while Patrice Bergeron had one.


Projected Lineups

FLYERS

28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 19 Derick Brassard - 89 Cam Atkinson
23 Oskar Lindblom - 21 Scott Laughton - 25 James van Riemsdyk
62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel - 44 Nate Thompson - 17 Zack MacEwen

9 Ivan Provorov - 94 Ryan Ellis
6 Travis Sanheim - 70 Rasmus Ristolainen
3 Keith Yandle - 61 Justin Braun

35 Martin Jones
[79 Carter Hart]


BRUINS

63 Brad Marchand - 37 Patrick Bergeron - 88 David Pastrnak
71 Taylor Hall - 13 Charlie Coyle - 12 Craig Smith
74 Jake DeBrusk - 56 Erik Haula - 17 Nick Foligno
11 Trent Frederic - 92 Tomas Nosek - 83 Karson Kuhlman

28 Derek Forbort - 73 Charlie McAvoy
6 Mike Reilly - 25 Brandon Carlo
48 Matt Grzelcyk - 75 Connor Clifton

1 Jeremy Swayman
[35 Linus Ullmark]

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