Game 1: Penguins vs Flyers
Location : Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
Time : 5:30 pm
TV / Radio : NBCSN – 97.5 The Fanatic
Odds : Flyers -1.5 | O/U 5.0
The Philadelphia Flyers open their 2020-2021 season against their cross-state rival the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.
Last season, the Flyers went 1-1-1 against the Penguins. Outscored in their regulation & overtime loses by a combined score of 11-4. But, their lone win coming in a 3-0 shutout.
The Flyers have won each of their last four season-opening games. Last season, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in Prague, Czech Republic apart of the NHL Global Series. During their four season-opening game win streak, forwards Travis Konecny (2G-4A) & Jake Voracek (0G-6A) lead the team with six points apiece.
In the Flyers only warmup action on Sunday, the underdog “Team White” pulled off the 4-2 upset in the Flyers Orange vs White exhibition game. “Team White” was led by the Flyers 3rd line, van Riemsdyk-Patrick-Voracek, which will be head coach Alain Vigneault’s secret weapon this season.
With the reuniting of the Flyers 1st line from last season, Lindblom-Couturier-Konecny, the Flyers depth is being showcased. Playoff hero, Scott Laughton, now moves back to his 4th line center position. Laughton will be reunited with Michael Raffl & Nicolas Aube-Kubel on the Flyers 4th line.
Justin Braun will get the first shot in the vacated spot alongside Ivan Provorov on the Flyers top defense pair. After Matt Niskanen retired this offseason, the Flyers chose to replace Niskanen with an in-house solution. A solution that looked to be Shayne Gostisbehere. But, after being declared “unfit to practice” on Saturday, Gostisbehere has yet to practice with the team since.
In goal, Carter Hart will start for the Flyers. It will be Hart’s 2nd consecutive season opening start.
As Kevin Hayes said last season, “you can’t win them all if you don’t win the first one”. The Flyers look to get off on the right foot tonight against the Penguins.
Betting Guide
PHI -1.5 +245
Kevin Hayes Points 0.5 OVER +150
Nolan Patrick To Score +330
Flyers Projected Lineup
23 Oskar Lindblom – 14 Sean Couturier – 11 Travis Konecny
28 Claude Giroux – 13 Kevin Hayes – 86 Joel Farabee
25 James van Riemsdyk – 19 Nolan Patrick – 93 Jake Voracek
12 Michael Raffl – 21 Scott Laughton – 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
9 Ivan Provorov – 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim – 5 Phil Myers
8 Robert Hagg – 56 Erik Gustafsson
79 Carter Hart
(37 Brian Elliott)
Scratches
48 Morgan Frost , 53 Shayne Gostisbehere , 59 Mark Friedman
