Flyers

Flyers vs. Canucks Preview: The Post-Holiday Road Trip

By
Kevin Durso
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Kevin Durso Sports Editor

I have been writing for Sports Talk Philly since 2011. Currently editor and lead writer of Philadelphia Flyers coverage. Co-host of the YWT Podcast. I also am Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN-FM in South Jersey. I graduated from Cabrini University in 2014.

All posts by Kevin Durso
Sports Editor

Published28 Dec 2023

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Flyers Canucks

The unofficial start to the second half of the NHL season begins with the first game after the holiday break. For the Flyers, that means the annual post-holiday Western Canada road trip gets underway.

The Flyers first game out of the holiday break is an immediate test. The Vancouver Canucks entered the holiday break with the most points in the NHL and look to build on a strong first half.

Game time is 10 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Vancouver Canucks GP G A P
Travis Konecny 33 16 11 27 J.T. Miller 35 15 33 48
Travis Sanheim 32 4 20 24 Quinn Hughes 35 10 34 44
Sean Couturier 31 9 14 23 Elias Pettersson 35 13 30 43
Joel Farabee 33 11 11 22 Brock Boeser 35 24 14 38
Owen Tippett 33 12 9 21 Filip Hronek 35 2 27 29

Flyers Canucks Players to Watch

Joel Farabee finished the pre-holiday portion of the schedule strong with two assists against Detroit in the team’s last game. In total, he has three assists in the last three games.

Quinn Hughes has been among the league leaders in points all season, and continued his production in the last three games with a goal and four assists. Hughes had just three assists in the six games prior.

Flyers Canucks Goalie Matchup

Sam Ersson gets the start for the Flyers. Ersson made 27 saves on 30 shots in a loss to the Predators in his last start on Dec. 21. That snapped a personal three-game winning streak for Ersson.

Casey DeSmith gets the start for the Canucks. DeSmith made 26 saves on 28 shots in his last start on Dec. 19 against the Predators. DeSmith has made just three starts in December, with the Canucks getting points in each game.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Lines

Flyers Scratches: Noah Cates (injury), Marc Staal (healthy), Rhett Gardner (healthy)

Canucks Lines

Canucks Scratches: Tucker Poolman (injury), Carson Soucy (injury),Guillaume Brisebois (injury), Mark Friedman (healthy), Phillip Di Giuseppe (healthy)

Lineup Notes

  • Flyers: Egor Zamula comes back into the lineup and Marc Staal will be a healthy scratch. No other changes are expected.
  • Canucks: No changes are expected to the Canucks lineup.

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (10.6% – 32nd), Canucks (24.2% – 9th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (85.7% – 4th), Canucks (77.8% – 23rd)
  • Recent History vs. Canucks
    • Oct. 17, 2023 – Flyers 2, Canucks 0 (at PHI)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Canucks
    • Sean Couturier: 17 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 P
    • Rasmus Ristolainen: 16 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 P
    • Cam Atkinson: 19 GP, 6 G, 5 A, 11 P
    • Travis Konecny: 12 GP, 3 G, 7 A, 10 P
    • Carter Hart: 7 GP, 4-1-2, 1.98 GAA, .930 SV%

Where to Watch

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