Playing the third game of a four-game homestand, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (20-13-6) will host Mike Sullivan's Pittsburgh Penguins (19-15-4) on Monday evening. Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This the third of four meetings this season between the traditional archrivals and the second game in Philadelphia. The Flyers started their December schedule with a home-and-home sweep of the Penguins via a 4-3 (1-0) shootout win at PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 2 and a 2-1 overtime win at the Wells Fargo Center two nights later. After Monday's game, the season series will wrap up back in Pittsburgh on February 25.
The Flyers, who are 1-2-2 over their fast five games, enter this coming off an emotional and well-played win over the Calgary Flames on Ed Snider Legacy Day at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Penguins wrapped up the December portion of their schedule with a 5-0-1 run. However, since the calendar has flipped to January, the team is 1-2-0 in its last three games. On Saturday, the Penguins dropped a 3-1 decision on home ice against the Buffalo Sabres.
Here are five things to watch on Monday:
1. Frost's Followup
By nature, Flyers center Morgan Frost has a very laid-back, unassuming and go-with-the-flow type of personality. However, after being a healthy scratch last Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets -- the 11th time this season that he was a DND -- Frost asked for a face-to-face meeting with the head coach.
According to both parties, it was a very open two-way conversation in which Front vented some frustrations and the two sides hopefully found what Tortorella deemed "a path to work forward together". More important than the words that were spoken behind closed doors on Friday was Frost's play on Saturday.
Frost came out with a lot of energy right from the outset of the first period. He attacked and backchecked with outstanding pace and made several good plays. Some were subtle plays like a defensive sequence where he used the back of the net and his body positioning to ward off a Calgary forechecker. Others were plays that created potential scoring chances.
In the second period, Frost saw some rewards. He tallied his sixth goal of the season as the Flyers tied the game at 1-1. The sequence started with Frost making a crisp low-to-high pass and ended, after Frost set up in front near the post, with the center slam-dunking a Sean Walker rebound into the net. Later, when the Flyers tied the game at 2-2, Frost assisted on Sean Couturier's bank shot power play goal.
Frost was selected as the First Star of the game, In addition to his two points, he registered three hits and blocked a Calgary shot attempt. Now comes the all-important followup game. The challenge for the talented and speedy forward to consistently play with a similar level of energy, self-confidence and assertiveness to what displayed on Saturday. It's never been a question of talent.
Side note: Frost did not start out Saturday's game as part of either Flyers' power play unit. However, in the second period, the Flyers Joel Farabee incurred 17 minutes of penalties as he rose to the defense of Cam York after Elias Lindholm hit the Flyers' defenseman late and led with an elbow. During the stretch with Farabee unavailable, Frost was placed back on the first power play unit on the left half boards.
Tortorella shortened the bench in the third period, rolling just three lines. Bobby Brink (a second power play unit regular) did not play at all in the final 20 minutes. Nor did rugged veteran winger Nicolas Deslauriers, while center Ryan Poehling was used sparingingly. With Brink on the bench, Frost played on PP2 in the third period after Farabee finished serving his penalties.
Whether Frost is on PP2 or only plays at 5-on-5 against the Penguins remains to be seen. The Flyers did not practice on Sunday.
2. Can Foerster Go 3-for-3 against Pens?
At the tail end of November and start of December, Flyers rookie winger Tyson Foerster strung together his most productive offensive stretch of the 2023-24 season to date: four goals, two assists and six points over a four-game span.
Foerster's surge overlapped with the Flyers' home-and-home set against the Penguins. Foerster scored once apiece in the two games on similar looking plays in which he rifled perfectly placed shots home from the top of the left circle.The only difference was that the first came on the power play and the latter at 5--on-5. He also came within a whisker of yet another goal of the same type (on a power play cross-ice pass from Frost in the road game in Pittsburgh) but was denied.
Since Foerster's home goal against the Penguins on Dec. 4, points have been hard to come by again. Over the last 14 games, Foerster has posted five points (zero goals, five assists).
Along with many other Flyers forwards outside of the top line trio of Farabee, Couturier and Travis Konecny, Foerster had a so-so four-game western road trip after the Christmas break.The last two games, however, have been encouraging.
Foerster had three shots on goal, won most of his board battles and logged 18:27 of ice time last Thursday against Columbus. On Saturday against Calgary, he was robbed at the doorstep on a tip-shot set up by Brink. He assisted on Frost's goal.
As happened late in November, it may only take one puck going in for Foerster for him to string together several more in short order. If he could make it three straight games with a goal against the archrival Penguins, it would be a huge lift both for the player and the team as a whole.
3. Atkinson: It May Just Take One
Cam Atkinson's return to the lineup on Saturday against Calgary after being scratched against Columbus was overshadowed by the storyline of Frost's multi-point game. Nonetheless, Atkinson played well, too.
The veteran winger had a pair of glorious scoring chances on Saturday including an A+ grade chance from point blank range. Atkinson's offensive frustrations continued, but he played well in other aspects. Most notably, he was on the ice during the Flyers' strong closeout in the late minutes to help nail down the one-goal win.
Atkinson's last goal came in Los Angeles on Nov. 11, It was his eighth tally of the still-young season. Given his fast start, no one would have predicted that the former 40-goal man would still be looking for goal No. 9 come the second week of January. It's been 23 games, 68 shots on goal and 52 all-situation scoring chances per Natural Stat Trick (29 high-danger chances) for Atkinson since his last goal. He's chipped in six assists in the meantime.
Before that, Atkinson started the season with 12 points (8g, 4a) through the season's first 15 games: 48 shots on goal and 49 individual scoring chances with 23 of the high-danger variety. After missing all of last season due to neck surgery, Atkinson's quick start was heartening for everyone around the Flyers.
The good news: Atkinson remains healthy and hasn't suddenly "forgotten" how to score goals. A single puck that knuckleballs past a goalie, bounces in off Atkinson's shinpad or skate, or pinballs into the net off a defender would allow Atkinson to simply relax and play his game again.
Saturday's game, hopefully, was a small step back in the right direction. The statement that goes for Foerster also applies to Atkinson: It often just takes one goal to take a huge weight of self-imposed pressure off a player's shoulder. It doesn't matter if it's a veteran like Atkinson or an NHL rookie like Foerster.
4. Flyers Special Teams vs. Penguins Special Teams
The Flyers scored one goal apiece at five-on-five, the power play (1-for-6) and shorthanded on Saturday against Calgary. That was just enough to defeat Calgary.
Although the power play has continued to struggle to finish plays in January, the team has generated much higher volumes of shots on goal and moderately better quality of scoring chances in recent games. The Couturier power play goal against the Flames came after previous man-advantage opportunities produced extensive attack zone time and heavy pressure without a payoff.
For the season, the Flyers still rank last in the NHL in power play success at 10.2 percent (13-for-128). Philly has allowed two shorthanded goals to date.
Of late, Egor Zamula has begun to receive regular power play time after numerous other options -- Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Sean Walker and Rasmus Ristolainen -- were given opportunities to run the point on PP1 and/or PP2. Somewhat unexpectedly, Zamula has been thriving both as a distributor and as a wrist shooter who hasbeen getting pucks through traffic onto the net.
In the meantime, the Penguins' penalty kill ranks eighth in the NHL at 83.1 percent. Opponents are 20-for-118. Pittsburgh has tallied two shorthanded goals to date: one apiece by veteran forwards Jeff Carter and Lars Eller.
Over the course of the season, Flyers penalty kill has increasingly been dubbed a "power kill" because of the puck pressure and the high volume of shorthanded scoring chances (and goals) it has generated. The Flyers enter Monday's game ranked second in the NHL in PK success rate (86.3 percent). Opposing power plays are just 17-for-124.
The Flyers have scored 10 shorthanded goals: tops in the NHL. No player in the league has scored more than Konecny's five shorties. Additionally, defenseman Walker has two two SHGs, while three players (Scott Laughton, Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway) have one apiece.
The Penguins rank 26th in the NHL on the power play at 14.6 percent (18-for-123). They have yielded five shorthanded goals to opponents.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are 9-7-3 on the road to date this season. Sullivan's club ranks 20th in the NHL offensively with an average 3.03 goals scored per game, while Tortorella's Flyers rank 25th and 2.90 GPG. Defensively, the Flyers and Penguins are tied for sixth (along with the New York Rangers), as the clubs hold identical team 2.74 goals against averages.
The top of the Penguins' lineup remains formidable offensively. Jake Guentzel, who has five points (2g, 3a) in the last five games, leads the Penguins this season with 43 points (18g, 25a) in 38 games. He's followed by Sidney Crosby (22g, 19a for the season, six points including three goals in the last five games).
Evegeni Malkin (14g,19a) is third on the team scoring leaderboard and has four points (1g, 3a) in the last five games. Offensive defensemen Erik Karlsson (6g, 21a, 27 points, five assists in the last five matches) and Kris Letang (3g, 23a, 26 points, three assists in the Penguins' road win in Boston last Thursday) lead the blueline.
It's a veteran, aging core. Only the 29-year-old Guentzel has yet to celebrate his 30th birthday. Nonetheless, each of the team's top five producers has dressed in all 38 games the Penguins have played so far. Malkin is 37, while Crosby and Letang are 36. Karlsson is 33.
The Penguins also have an aging supporting cast. Former Flyer Carter, who broke into the NHL with Philly in 2005-06, celebrated his 39th birthday on New Year's Day. Other members of the Penguins' 30-plus club include 34-year-old checking center Lars Eller, 32-year-old winger Reilly Smith, 32-year-old forward Noel Acciari, 31-year-old right winger Bryan Rust (10g, 21 points in 25 games played), currently injured winger Matt Nieto (knee surgery), and 32-year-old depth defenseman Chad Ruhwedel
Tristan Jarry has made 26 starts in net this season. He's posted an 11-12-2 record, 2.60 GAA, .912 save percentage, four shutouts and scored a goal on Nov. 30. Backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has made 11 starts and two relief appearances (7-3-2, 2.62 GAA, .917 SV%, one shutout).
