Flyers at Blackhawks: Projected lines, pairings, and 5 things to watch for

The Philadelphia Flyers have another two-game road trip on their hands. This time they’re headed to the midwest to take on the Blackhawks and Blues.

They will be without two of their young impactful players on the trip, however, as Nolan Patrick and Shayne Gostisbehere did not travel with the team.

Here are the projected lines, pairings, and 5 things to watch for in tonight’s game.

Come out hot in Chicago

The Flyers have had a lot of good finishes and late pushes in games, including two goals in 38 seconds to tie it up on Monday night, but they have yet to really be able to control a game from the start. On home ice they did it once in their dominating win against the Capitals, but even in their 5-1 win against the Panthers they had a relatively slow start until putting up a four-spot in the 2nd period. Getting out to a fast start is crucial, especially in a game like tonight’s.

The Blackhawks have had a bad stretch after starting the season 3-0-1. They have lost six of their last eight games, including five of six and three straight. But they have had three days off after their last loss, a 6-3 final in Colorado, to rest up, let the fire burn, and gear up for the Flyers.

Chicago has been slightly better at home (3-2-1) than on the road this season (2-3-1), and the same goes for the Flyers. Outside of Philadelphia, the Flyers haven’t had a single game where they had a good start. In Toronto they went down 1-0 in the 1st, in Ottawa they went down 3-0 in the 1st, in Nashville they went down 3-0 early in the 2nd, in Anaheim they scored first but the Ducks tied it up less than four minutes later, they got shut out in Los Angeles, and even when they went up 2-0 early in San Jose, the Sharks scored twice in the final three minutes to tie it up heading into the first intermission. It hasn’t been good.

The Flyers had a sloppy start at home on Tuesday night and they acknowledged it after the game. They’ve responded well to bad losses so far this season (dominating the Capitals after losing in Nashville, and beating Toronto after losing late in Ottawa), and hopefully that can continue tonight in Chicago.

Next man up

For the second straight game, injuries are a storyline to watch for. Hell, they’ve had an impact on the Flyers for the past almost two weeks if you go back to those minor injuries to Jordan Weal and Taylor Leier.

Nolan Patrick and Shayne Gostisbehere did not travel with the team to Chicago, and will not be available for the two-game road trip. It’s time for the next man up to step up. Mark Alt played solid hockey in his season debut, and certainly wasn’t the reason they lost to the Coyotes. He can be a decent 3rd pair guy, alongside another fringe NHL-er in Brandon Manning, who should be deployed in non-dangerous situations.  The injuries on the defensive front have also caused the Flyers to call up Will O’Neill as a seventh defenseman. He will not play unless there is an injury, but they need a healthy body on the trip.

Travis Sanheim will continue to play an increased role with the injuries piling up. He played a career-high 23:41 on Monday night, but certainly made a few mistakes that he is learning from. He is adjusting well to the NHL level but isn’t a stranger to the learning curve. He continues to grow with each game and is settling into his role.

Patrick’s absence has allowed an increased role for a few of the veterans. Matt Read has been in the lineup, though Dale Weise has been a healthy scratch, and Jori Lehtera hasn’t missed a game (six) since being inserted into the lineup against the Predators. The Flyers’ depth has its chance to prove its worth.

Source: sonsofpenn