Game 55 Preview: Flyers @ Maple Leafs

Looking for their fifth straight win, the Philadelphia Flyers (29-19-6) are in Ontario on Thursday evening to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (27-16-8). Game time at Scotiabank Arena is 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Flyers enter this game coming off a 5-3 home win against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Morgan Frost (penalty shot, 9th goal of the season), Travis Konecny (25th), Jamie Drysdale (3rd), Scott Laughton(7th) and Owen Tippett (empty net, 19th) scored for Philly as they overcame deficits of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. Samuel Ersson stopped 20 of 23 shots to earn the win in goal.

On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs skated to a 4-1 home win against the St. Louis Blues. Bobby McMann tallied his first career NHL hat trick (3rd, 4th, and 5th goals of the season in his 27th game). William Nylander (26th) also scored. Ilya Samsonov faced just 15 shots, stopping 14. The Maple Leafs were missing Mitch Marner (illness), John Tavares (illness) and defenseman Morgan Rielly (first game of a five-game NHL suspension) from the lineup.

Nylander also subsequently took ill. None among Nylander, Tavares or Marner were able to practice on Wednesday. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the availability off each player will depend on each is feeling come Thursday. None were able to hold food down or feeeling up to skating. Rielly will serve the second game of his suspension for cross-checking Ottawa's Ridly Greig to the head in response to Greig's uncontested slap shot into an empty net from point blank range.

The Flyers also had numerous players missing from practice on Wednesday. Owen Tippett and Jamie Drysdale took maintenance days. Tyson Foerster (lower-body injury) will not be ready to return by this weekend as initially hoped but is not expected to be out long-term. Rasmus Ristolainen (upper-body injury) was slated to undergo further evaluation.

Thursday's game will mark Sean Couturier's debut as Flyers captain after being named to the post on Thursday. Likewise, Travis Konecny will don an alternate's "A" for the first time. Scott Laughton holds over as an alternate.

Lineups will be posted prior to game time. The Flyers' lineup from Monday's game against the Arizona Coyotes is posted below.

74 Owen Tippett - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 89 Cam Atkinson
27 Noah Cates - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
62 Olle Lycksell - 21 Scott Laughton - (rotation)

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
18 Marc Staal - 9 Jamie Drysdale
5 Egor Zamula

33 Samuel Ersson
[40 Cal Petersen]

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