The Philadelphia Flyers (3-1-1) are in Nevada on Tuesday to take on Bruce Cassidy's undefeated Vegas Golden Knights (6-0-0), the defending Stanley Cup champions. Game time at T-Mobile Arena is 11:00 p.m. EDT.
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk on the call, and an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
The Flyers, who are 2-0-1 in their last three games, are coming off a hard-fought 5-4 overtime road loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Philadelphia established an overall edge in forechecking and puck possession but had to battle back from deficits of 2-0 and 4-2. Philadelphia tied a single-game franchise record by scoring three shorthanded goals in Saturday's game.
Travis Konecny tallied a pair of shorthanded goals -- one in the first period, the other in the third -- for the Flyers. Sean Walker scored his second shorthanded marker in as many games. Joel Farabee scored an even strength goal. Noah Cates had two assists. In a losing cause, Samuel Ersson stopped 20 of 25 shots on goal.
Here are five things to watch in Tuesday's game.
1. Best players must step up.
The Flyers have already played some good clubs this season and come away with a win or a regulation tie. However, Tuesday's game will be the toughest test yet: a red-hot opponent that creates matchup problems for most of the National Hockey League. There hasn't been even a hint of the "Stanley Cup hangover" effect on the Golden Knights early this season.
In an ideal game, the Flyers would be able to use their improved team depth and roll their lines throughout the game. However, there is a significant chance that Philly will have to shorten their bench at some point.
For the Flyers to pull off an upset win, the team's best players must be just that. They'll clearly need a strong game in net from Carter Hart to give the team a chance to win. Hart has been excellent so far (3-1-0, 2.01 GAA, .929 save percentage). Hart must make sure that any goals Vegas scored are earned the hard way. He'll need the players in front, too, to give him a fair chance.
Up front, the Flyers need Sean Couturier to crank out a performance along the same lines to his stellar game against Edmonton last Thursday. Travis Konecny, who already has five goals and seven points to his credit through five games, will likely have to lead the offensive charge once again.
On the blueline, the Flyers have been getting very strong overall play from the top pairing of Cam York and Travis Sanheim No one is infallible - there has been a couple of mistakes -- but the duo has contributed many more good shifts than poor ones so far. The Flyers may very well need 25-plus minutes from Sanheim and 23-plus from York at their respective A-game levels.
2. Supporting cast contributions
The Flyers' 3-1-1 start so far has been steeped in contributions from all around the lineup: four goals from the blueline (two shorthanded goals from Sean Walker, and an even strength goal apiece from York and Egor Zamula). Up front, Joel Farabee has notched three goals, as has veteran Cam Atkinson.
Owen Tippett has come on strong in each of the last three games after a rough start through the first two matches. Tippett recorded two stellar primary assists in the win against Edmonton and racked up seven shots on goal in the Dallas game. A 27-goal scorer last year, Tippett is still looking for his first goal of the new season but he's right on the verge of doing so.
Rookie Bobby Brink has injected elements of creative playmaking and elusiveness in the four games in which he's dressed this season. He has chipped in two well-deserved assists so far, but actually could have five or six already, if high-grade scoring chances he created had been finished off for goals.
Veteran two-way forward Scott Laughton, who has been moved back from left wing to center over the last three games, has come out of the gates playing very solid hockey (including a team-high four assists and strong penalty killing work). Fellow two-way center Noah Cates recoded a heads-up shorthanded assist on Konecny's first period shorthanded goal after an earlier assist in which he put a shot on net that generated a fortuitous rebound.
The Flyers, like most teams, do not look to their fourth line for scoring. However, the hard-working trio of Ryan Poehling, Garnet Hathaway and Nick Deslauriers have contributed a very favorable puck possession share so far on the young season.
Meanwhile, Tortorella has praised the diligence rookie winger Tyson Foerster has shown in being hard to take off the puck, backchecking and winning board battles in the offensive zone. The coach has challenged the player (0g, 1a) to shoot the puck more in trying to replicate the form he showed in posting three goals seven points in eight games late last season.
3. Flyers power play vs. Vegas PK
The Flyers, who have ranked at the bottom of the NHL on the power play in each of the last two seasons have shown subtle improvements over last season. Last year, it often seemed like the Flyers spent most of the two minutes losing faceoffs, retrieving cleared-out pucks, struggling to generate entries with puck control or successfully retrieve pucks if dumped in.
So far this season, those areas have been a little better. However, further improvement is needed. The Flyers still need to get more shots through, get more pucks and bodies to the scoring areas and finish when there's a good look at the net.
The Golden Knights will not be an easy opponent against whom to reverse the trends so far. Vegas has started the season 16-for-18 (88.9 percent) on the PK. However, it should be noted that, last season, the Golden Knights' PK was not a particular stregth, ranking 19th in the NHL at 77.4 percent.
4. Flyers PK vs. Vegas power play
With the notable exception of the second game of the regular season, Philadelphia has been very strong on the penalty kill in four of the first five games (14-for-17, 82.4 percent).
It goes without saying that the recent binge of four shorthanded goals in the last two games is not something the Flyers -- or any team -- can sustain. However, the Flyers do have bonafide shorthanded goal threats in both Konecny and Laughton, and players such as Atkinson and Couturier have historically shown an ability to burn opponents that get careless. Cates also has SHG upside. Last season, the Flyers were tied (with Carolina) for fourth in the NHL will 11 shorthanded markers.
Under assistant Brad Shaw, who runs the PK, the Flyers have been playing a particularly aggressive style on the penalty kill this season, with heavy strong-side puck pressure. The Flyers' other opponents, including even Edmonton (typically lethal on the man advantage), have struggled to find the open man. When they have, Hart has made the saves.
The Golden Knight are off to a hot start on the power play this season. They've gone 6-for-22 (27.3 percent). Last season, Vegas connected at a respectable 20.3 percent rate (ranked 18th).
5. Behind enemy lines: Vegas Golden Knights
As one would expect from a powerhouse team with a 6-0-0 record, the Golden Knights are overwhelming opponents so far with a deep and balanced attack. Thirteen different players have contributed at least three points to date, and 16 different players on the roster have scored at least one goal.
Leading the way so far: Chandler Stephenson (2g,5a, 7 points), Jack Eichel (3g, 3a, 6 points), William Karlsson (3g, 3a, 6 points), Mark Stone (1g, 5a, 6 points), and defenseman Shea Theodore (1g, 5a, 6 points). Forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Nicolas Roy have scored three goals apiece. Collectively, the Vegas defense corps has contributed a combined five goals through six games.
In net, both Adin Hill (4-00, 1.73 GAA, .934 SV%) and Logan Thompson (2-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .935 SSV%) have taken care of business throughout the early season to date. They've had help in front, as the club ranks tied for 5th (the Flyers are fourth) by allowing just 28.0 shots per game thus far, but the goalies have stepped up whenever needed.
