Entering play a week ago, the Flyers were coming off a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues and had a 7-3-2 record. In the week since, the Flyers have reminded everyone how quickly things can change.
For the first several weeks of the season, the Flyers were finding a way to win, mostly behind the elite goaltending of Carter Hart. They enter Thursday’s game in a four-game losing streak though, and now get the test of facing the NHL’s best team in the standings. The Boston Bruins come in with a 14-2-0 record and wins in four straight games.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Boston Bruins | GP | G | A | P |
Travis Konecny | 16 | 7 | 12 | 19 | David Pastrnak | 16 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
Kevin Hayes | 16 | 4 | 12 | 16 | Hampus Lindholm | 16 | 4 | 13 | 17 |
Joel Farabee | 16 | 3 | 7 | 10 | Patrice Bergeron | 16 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
Tony DeAngelo | 16 | 3 | 6 | 9 | Brad Marchand | 8 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
Ivan Provorov | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | Jake DeBrusk | 15 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
Kevin Hayes has picked up some of the offensive production again with a pair of goals in the last three games and two assists as well. Despite the point-per-game production so far this season, Hayes has struggled defensively of late, with a minus-7 rating in the last four games.
After an early surge in goal scoring, David Pastrnak has cooled off in that area, but continues to be a key playmaker. Pastrnak has six points in his last four games, five of them being assists. He has just two goals in his last six games after a four-game scoring streak capped a stretch of seven goals in nine games.
Carter Hart gets back in goal for the Flyers. Hart was on the hook for another overtime loss on Tuesday, making 28 saves on 33 shots in Columbus. After opening the season with five straight wins, Hart has just one win in his last six starts.
Linus Ullmark will start for the Bruins. Ullmark is off to a dominant start this season, leading the league in all major goaltending categories. He won his first eight starts of the season before suffering his only loss to Toronto on Nov. 5, despite making 26 saves on 28 shots. Since then, Ullmark has won three straight starts, allowing just four goals on 90 shots in that time.
Projected Lineups
Flyers Scratches: Sean Couturier (injury), James van Riemsdyk (injury), Cam Atkinson (injury), Wade Allison (injury), Kieffer Bellows (healthy), Egor Zamula (healthy)
Bruins Scratches: Derek Forbort (injury), Jakub Zboril (healthy), Craig Smith (healthy)
Lineup Notes
- Flyers: Patrick Brown was activated from IR and will make his season debut. Kieffer Bellows comes out of the lineup. No other changes will be made.
- Bruins: Anton Stralman comes into the lineup for Jakub Zboril. No other changes are expected.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (26th), Bruins (7th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (21st), Bruins (1st)
- Recent History vs. Bruins
- Jan. 13, 2022 – Bruins 3, Flyers 2 (at BOS)
- Nov. 20, 2021 – Bruins 5, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
- Oct. 20, 2021 – Flyers 6, Bruins 3 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Bruins
- Travis Konecny: 22 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 P
- Kevin Hayes: 26 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 P
- Rasmus Ristolainen: 34 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 9 P
- Travis Sanheim: 19 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 P
- Carter Hart: 11 GP, 4-5-2, 3.69 GAA, .883 SV%
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: Flyers Broadcast Network