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Flyers Gameday: 10/24/23 @ VGK

October 24, 2023, 3:31 PM ET [237 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Philadelphia Flyers (3-1-1) are in Nevada on Tuesday to take on Bruce Cassidy's undefeated Vegas Golden Knights (6-0-0). Game time at T-Mobile Arena is 11:00 p.m. EDT.

This is the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference clubs. The Flyers and Golden Knights will rematch at the Wells Fargo Center on November 18.

The Flyers enter this game coming off a 5-4 overtime loss in Dallas despite controlling the majority of the territorial play and tying a franchise single-game record with three shorthanded goals. Joel Farabee scored at even strength, while Travis Konecny notched a pair of shorthanded markers and defenseman Sean Walker (for the second straight game) also tallied a 4-on-5 goal.

Samuel Ersson (20 saves on 25 shots) took the loss in Saturday's game. Carter Hart will return to the net in Vegas. The Flyers otherwise will dress the same lineup they used in Vegas. Morgan Frost will be a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game. Ramus Ristolainen remains on IR, along with Marc Staal. Ristolainen is still considered day-to-day at this point, while Staal is officially week to week and unofficially projected to miss four to six weeks.

Tortorella said after Monday's practice that he wants to find a spot for Frost again in the top nine but can't justify removing or repositioning any of the forwards in the current top nine. At least statistically -- 0g, 1a (5-on-3 PPA), 42.6 XGF%, one individual scoring chance (also one high-danger change), eight shots on goal, on-ice 1-to-11 scoring chance for/against ratio at 5-on-5 in four games played -- rookie winger Tyson Foerster would seem to be a scratch candidate. However Tortorella said that Foerster has played a lot better than his primary or underlying numbers look, and he's not inclined to make a change right now.

"He was probably one of the hardest guys on the puck [in Dallas]. Won some battles, had some good back checks.... [But] I want him to score goals. I want him to think shot first. If there’s anything I have a problem with, it’s that," Tortorella said on Monday.

For Vegas, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (day-to-day) practiced with the team on Monday. However, he wore a red no-contact jersey and is not expected back in the lineup quite yet. There's no need for the Golden Knights to rush him. The team is getting scoring up and down the lineup and has been stingy defensively so far.

For an in-depth game preview, see today's Five Things on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com. Projected lineups follow below.

FLYERS

11 Travis Konecny - 21 Scott Laughton - 71 Tyson Foerster
74 Owen Tippett- 14 Sean Couturier - 89 Cam Atkinson
86 Joel Farabee - 27 Noah Cates - 10 Bobby Brink
44 Nic Deslauriers- 25 Ryan Poehling- Garnet Hathaway

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
18 Marc Staal - 5 Egor Zamula
36 Emil Andrae -24 Nick Seeler

79 Carter Hart
[33 Samuel Ersson]

GOLDEN KNIGHTS

49 Ivan Barbashev - 9 Jack Eichel - 81 Jonathan Marchessault
21 Brett Howden - 20 Chandler Stephenson - 61 Mark Stone
43 Paul Cotter - 71 William Karlsson - 22 Mike Amadio
28 Will Carrier - 10 Nicolas Roy - 55 Keegan Kolesar

3 Brayden McNabb - 27 Shea Theodore
94 Brayden Pachal - 23 Alec Martinez
6 Kaeden Korczak - 14 Nicolas Hague

33 Adin Hill
36 Logan Thompson
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