Flyers-Bruins: Game 5 Preview

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Boston Bruins	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	4	4	2	6	Brad Marchand	3	1	2	3
Kevin Hayes	4	2	3	5	Patrice Bergeron	3	1	1	2
Joel Farabee	4	1	3	4	Nick Ritchie	3	1	0	1
Oskar Lindblom	4	2	1	3	David Krejci	3	0	1	1
Nolan Patrick	4	1	2	3	Matt Grzelcyk	3	0	1	1

 

 

The Flyers have needed players to step up in the wake of injury, and Travis Sanheim certainly did his part on Tuesday, logging over 25 minutes of ice time and playing in key situations throughout the game. He made a number of smart defensive plays as well, keeping the game in the Flyers control. Sanheim has had some offensive success against the Bruins in the past, but his defensive game will need to be on point in this one.

 

Scoring has been hard to come by for the Bruins so far this season, but Brad Marchand has had something to do with each goal they have scored. He scored their first goal of the season, and then assisted on the next two. Marchand even struck for a goal in the shootout win to open their season against the Devils, so he's been involved in just about all of the offense so far. Marchand has always had great success against the Flyers, and will certainly look to spark his team to a better performance than they have shown to start the season.

 

Carter Hart will get back in goal for the Flyers after Monday's rough start. While certainly not all on him, Hart wasn't at his best on Monday and he gets an opportunity to bounce back himself on Thursday night in Boston. Hart did look solid in his first two games, picking up wins in both.

Tuukka Rask gets the start in goal for the Bruins on Thursday. Rask was in goal for Monday's 1-0 loss for the Bruins against the Islanders, allowing the only goal of the game with 4:09 to play in the third. Rask has been excellent to start the season, allowing just three goals in two games. 

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Sean Couturier (rib injury), Phil Myers (rib injury), Morgan Frost (shoulder injury), Shayne Gostisbehere (COVID-19 Unavailable List)

Bruins Scratches: David Pastrnak (injury), John Moore (healthy), Connor Clifton (healthy)

Lineup Notes

• Flyers: The Flyers are forced to shake up the lines again with new injury updates. Scott Laughton is moving into the top nine. Connor Bunnaman is centering the fourth line with Michael Raffl and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Mark Friedman comes in and will be paired with Robert Hagg. The top nine was not completely revealed by Alain Vigneault, but it would be reasonable to assume that they want to keep the line of Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom and Travis Konecny together. They could also keep Claude Giroux on the wing with Kevin Hayes and Joel Farabee, as they did to start the season. That would leave Laughton with James van Riemsdyk and Jake Voracek. Defensively, Travis Sanheim will likely slot into the top pairing with Ivan Provorov, leaving Erik Gustafsson and Justin Braun to play together. 
• Bruins: No big surprises for the Bruins, who keep their defensive pairings intact, and are trying to fill the void on the top line without David Pastrnak.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (T-9th), Bruins (T-14th)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-21st), Bruins (T-1st)
• Recent History vs. Bruins
  • Jan. 18, 2021 – Sabres 6, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
• Flyers Leaders vs. Bruins
  • Jake Voracek – 31 GP, 6 G, 21 A, 27 P
  • Claude Giroux – 39 GP, 10 G, 19 A, 29 P
  • James van Riemsdyk – 36 GP, 14 G, 12 A, 26 P
  • Erik Gustafsson – 9 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P
  • Carter Hart – 5 GP, 4-1-0, 2.71 GAA, .910 SV%
• Milestone Watch
  • Jake Voracek need one assist to pass Mark Recchi for fifth all-time in Flyers history.
  • Jake Voracek needs two points to reach 700 for his career in the NHL.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN

Game Preview Video