Flyers vs. Hurricanes Preview: See You Again?

Thursday night’s matchup between the Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes is the last time the two teams are scheduled to meet this season. Or is it?

As the Flyers currently retain the third spot in the Metropolitan Division standings, the Hurricanes would be their first-round opponent if the season ended today. But Carolina has been on a tear lately, winning four straight games and seven of their last eight, to close the gap for first in the Metro to two points.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Morgan Frost enters Thursday’s game on a four-game points streak, including a two-point game against Toronto. He has three goals and three assists during that time.

Since joining the Hurricanes at the trade deadline, Jake Guentzel has helped jumpstart the offense. After being held off the scoresheet in his debut, Guentzel has two goals and six assists in the last four games.

Sam Ersson gets the start for the Flyers. Ersson bounced back on Tuesday night against Toronto, making 27 saves on 30 shots in a win. This will be Ersson’s first appearance against the Hurricanes since facing them in his NHL debut last season.

Frederik Andersen is expected to start for the Hurricanes. Andersen has just 10 games played on the season, but has been solid in all of them. Since making his return from injury on March 7, Andersen has four straight wins and has allowed just five goals in that time.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Jamie Drysdale (injury), Rasmus Ristolainen (injury), Nick Seeler (injury), Denis Gurianov (healthy), Sean Couturier (healthy), Cam Atkinson (healthy), Marc Staal (healthy)

Hurricanes Scratches: Teuvo Teravainen (injury), Jesper Fast (injury), Jack Drury (injury), Pyotr Kochetkov (healthy)

Lineup Notes

• Flyers: No changes are expected to the lineup from last game.
• Hurricanes: Carolina is expected to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen with Tony DeAngelo coming back into the lineup.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (12.9% – 32nd), Hurricanes (26.4% – 3rd)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (84.5% – 3rd), Hurricanes (85.8% – 2nd)
• Recent History vs. Hurricanes 
  • Nov. 28, 2023 – Hurricanes 4, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
  • Nov. 15, 2023 – Flyers 3, Hurricanes 1 (at CAR)
  • Oct. 30, 2023 – Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
• Flyers Leaders vs. Hurricanes 
  • Sean Couturier: 42 GP, 10 G, 18 A, 28 P
  • Cam Atkinson: 43 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 P
  • Travis Konecny: 26 GP, 9 G, 8 A, 17 P
  • Sam Ersson: 1 GP, 0-0-0, 6.33 GAA, .833 SV%
  • Felix Sandstrom: 2 GP, 0-1-1, 3.04 GAA, .905 SV%
• Milestone Watch
  • Joel Farabee needs one assist to reach 100 for his career.
  • Sean Couturier needs four points to reach 500 for his career.

Where to Watch

• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: Flyers Broadcast Network