Flyers hope to ‘Krak’ into a win versus Seattle

The last time the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Seattle Kraken was October 18th, 2021. It’s been a while, and just because Buoy and Gritty became best buds at the NHL All-Star Game doesn’t make today’s game friendly fire.

When these two coastal squads last met, the Kraken was sent back to the depths, 6-1.

Currently, Seattle is fourth in the Pacific Division while Philadelphia is seventh in the Metropolitan Division with an even regulation record. After a 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators yesterday, the Flyers hope to bounce back on this sacred Super Bowl Sunday!

Seattle Kraken (29-18-5)

Dave Hakstol, the former Flyers head coach, and the Kraken are looking to end their three-game skid, unable to afford further damage in a very tight Pacific Division. Hakstol definitely wants to beat his former team on their home ice.

Depth is key for Seattle. They’ve scored just four goals in the first three road games on this trip that no one would call the yellow brick road to Hockey Oz.

Friday, against the New York Rangers, when Seattle scored their first goal down 4-0 early in the second period. The Rangers held on, 6-3.

Even with the slowed pace scoring on the road trip, the Kraken shouldn’t be underestimated. Matthew Beniers (17G, 19A), Daniel Sprong (15G, 14A), Ryan Donato (12G, 9A), and Jaden Schwartz (10G, 13A) are all forwards who are going to put the Flyers’ defense through their paces and get their chances on Felix Sandstrom. Seattle could be due for an offensive eruption.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the Seattle Kraken:

McCann-Beniers-Eberle
Schwartz-Wennberg-Donato
Tolvanen-Gourde-Bjorkstrand
Tanev-Geekie-Sprong

Dunn-Larsson
Oleksiak-Borgen
Schultz-Soucy

Grubauer
(Jones)

Philadelphia Flyers (22-22-10)

It’s the final game of a grueling four-game homestand for the Flyers. They’re playing hard, but at what point could fatigue play a factor? Three games in four days are tough, especially when the last two went into overtime or a shootout.

Philadelphia scored two or fewer goals in six of their last ten games. It’s not that the offense is dead, but it’s on life support. Kevin Hayes (17G, 30A) had the only goal versus the Nashville Predators. Offensively, the Flyers rank 26th in the NHL. They’re a better defensive team, ranking 20th in that department.

Carter Hart is a workhorse, but in a back-to-back, he won’t receive consecutive starts.

Sandstrom spent two weeks with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to play more minutes on a conditioning stint. In 2022-2023 at the NHL level, he’s 1-7-1 with a 3.45GAA and an 88.6%SV. Most of his starts are the second half of back-to-back sets. Tortorella stresses that he needs that missing save from Sandstrom, putting into hyperbole that he needs to manage a way to close a game. That also requires blocked shots and greatly improved puck control in the defensive zone from each pair, top to bottom.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers, per Bill Meltzer:

Hayes-Laughton-Konecny
van Riemsdyk-Frost-Tippett
Farabee-Cates-Allison
Deslauriers-Brown-Lycksell

Provorov-York
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Seeler-DeAngelo

Sandstrom
(Hart)

Place Your Bets

Philadelphia Flyers moneyline (+135)
Seattle Kraken moneyline (-155)

Game Information

The puck drops at 1pm for the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken at the Wells Fargo Center. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia and the radio broadcast is available on 97.5 the Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.

(Photo by Chris Kohley/Icon Sportswire)