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Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers (8-5-2) are home on Wednesday to play Kris Knoblauch’s Edmonton Oilers (7-6-4). The Flyers claimed five of six possible points in their previous three games but are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers should be well-rested, having had the last three nights off from games. However, the team would do well to avoid the slow starts they experienced against Nashville and Ottawa.
Tyson Foerster, barring a setback or a decision to err on the side of caution, appears likely to exit IR (foot injury) on Wednesday. He practiced on Tuesday with regular linemates Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. Meanwhile, Foerster also took regular power play reps.
On Sunday, the Flyers had three players miss practice (Monday was an off day). Jamie Drysdale was under the weather, while Tocchet said that both Cam York and Christian Dvorak got a bit banged up in the Ottawa game the previous day. Thankfully, all three players practiced in full on Tuesday and should be good to go in the game against the Oilers.
Edmonton opens a seven-game road trip on Wednesday. The two-time defending Western Conference champions have had a roller coaster season so far. Case in point: Last Saturday, Knoblauch’s club suffered a humiliating 9-1 home loss at the hands of Colorado.However, the Oilers bounced back on Monday for a 5-4 overtime home win against Columbus. The Oilers remain a very dangerous team offensively. Meanwhile, they have the fifth-worst goals against average in the NHL so far.
Where to watch
Time and broadcast: 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSP
Listen online: FlyersRadio 24/7
Four keys to the game for Philadelphia: click here
In-game watch party (Maher Media): click here
Projected Flyers Lineup
The lineup below is based on Tuesday’s practice and assumes Tyson Foerster is available. It is subject to change and will be adjusted below if need be.
Trevor Zegras – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett – Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Nikita Grebenkin – Rodrigo Abols – Garnet Hathaway
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae – Noah Juulsen
Dan Vladar
[Samuel Ersson]
Scratches: Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy), Carl Grundstrom (healthy), Egor Zamula (healthy), Adam Ginning (healthy)
Note: If the Flyers activate Foerster from IR, they will need to make a roster move. Grundstrom seems likely.
Let’s Go Flyers