The Flyers struggled mightily against the Bruins last season, losing six of eight meetings (2-4-2). Philadelphia was to close out games when they held multi-goal third period leads on the Bruins and also had problems keeping the puck of their own net in general. Boston's power play especially tortured the Flyers.
It's still very early in the 2021-22 season. Nevertheless, tonight's nationally televised game is an opportunity for Vigneault's club to make a statement that it's truly forged a new identity on top of making a host of off-season roster moves. Here are five things to watch:
1. Mr. Jones and Bs
Martin Jones will make his regular season debut for the Flyers in net for this game.Carter Hart had a stellar performance on Monday against Seattle after an uneven night in the opener against Vancouver last Friday.
During his first three seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Jones was a workhorse starter, playing between 60 and 65 games per season. He finished seventh in the Vezina Trophy voting in 2015-16 and sixth the next year. Jones backstopped the Sharks to the Western Conference championship in 2015-16 before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Stanley Cup Final. In 2018-19, Jones and Sharks made it to game six of the Western Conference Final before bowing out to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
However, Jones had very rough seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21. He's in need of a bounceback campaign.
2. Ristolainen Returns
Acquired from the Buffalo Sabres during the offseason, Rasmus Ristolainen will be counted on to log about 20 minutes of ice time per game for the Flyers. Ristolainen sustained an upper-body injury in the Flyers' preseason finale against the Washington Capitals, and wound up missing the first two games of the regular season.
On Tuesday, Ristolainen practiced in full alongside defense partner Travis Sanheim. Barring any setbacks, he will make his regular season debut as a Flyers against the Bruins in this game. Nick Seeler, who filled in admirably in the lineup for the first two games of the regular season, will be scratched. Justin Braun, who played with Sanheim against Vancouver and Seattle, will move to the pairing with Keith Yandle. Yandle and Braun were together for most of the preseason.
3. Zack Mac in the House
Claimed off waivers last week from the Vancouver Canucks, hard-nosed winger Zack MacEwen was unavailable to the Flyers until the Prince Edward Island native received his United States work visa for the season. That issue is now resolved. MacEwen joined the Flyers on the ice in Voorhees on Tuesday for his first practice and will enter the lineup against the Bruins to make his Flyers debut.
MacEwen is noted for his toughness and forechecking prowess. He was a fine offensive player in junior hockey and has also been a productive American Hockey League player. At the NHL level, however, his role is to supply fourth-line energy and muscle while standing up physically on behalf of teammates.
He has had nine career NHL fights in 55 games.
MacEwen was a very well-liked player in the Canucks' locker room and rapidly became a favorite of Canucks fans. The same is likely in Philadelphia. The Flyers loaned Max Willman to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Tuesday.
Projected Flyers lineup:
28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 19 Derick Brassard - 89 Cam Atkinson
23 Oskar Lindblom - 21 Scott Laughton - 25 James van Riemsdyk
62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel - 44 Nate Thompson - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 94 Ryan Ellis
6 Travis Sanheim - 70 Rasmus Ristolainen
3 Keith Yandle - 61 Justin Braun
35 Martin Jones
[79 Carter Hart]
4. Behind Enemy Lines: Bruins
The Bruins have only played one game to date this season: a 3-1 home victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Jeremy Swayman -- a young goalie who has already had some success against the Flyers -- stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn the win.
Longtime Flyers nemesis Brad Marchand scored two goals in the opener: a successful penalty shot shot late in the first period and a late-game empty-netter. Jake DeBrusk broke a 1-1 deadlock early in the third period for the game-winning goal.
5. Players to Watch: JVR and Pastrnak
The Flyers may not have had much success against Boston last season but veteran winger James van Riemsdyk did. Last season, JVR racked up 10 points (4g, 6a) in eight games against the Bruins. Meanwhile, Boston's David Pastrnak recorded two separate hat tricks against the Flyers. It's not only the Flyers that "Pasta" tortures -- he is one of the NHL's most prolific snipers, after all -- but he gives Philly an especially hard time.
