It is finally here. The Flyers open the 2019-20 regular season from Prague, Czech Republic as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks.

It has been a long offseason for the Flyers and many new faces are around, none bigger than the man behind the bench in Alain Vigneault. With new players like Kevin Hayes, Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun all debuting with the Flyers and rookies Carsen Twarynski and Connor Bunnaman about make their NHL debut as well, it certainly is a new beginning for the Orange and Black.

Game time is at 2 p.m.

Team Leaders (2018-19 Statistics)

Philadelphia FlyersGPGAPChicago BlackhawksGPGAP
Claude Giroux82226385Patrick Kane814466110
Sean Couturier80334376Jonathan Toews82354681
Jake Voracek78204666Alex DeBrincat82413576
Travis Konecny82242549Erik Gustafsson79174360
James van Riemsdyk66272148Dylan Strome58173451
Player to Watch
13 Kevin Hayes    88 Patrick Kane
2018-19 Stats: 19 G, 36 A, 55 P2018-19 Stats: 44 G, 66 A, 110 P
It's an important debut for Kevin Hayes. The forward acquired by the Flyers to bring stability and added depth to the center position will start by playing with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, looking to make an early impact.
The Blackhawks may have been one of the NHL's bottom-feeders last season, but Patrick Kane remains one of the top scoring threats in the game. Last season, he led the Blackhawks with 44 goals and 110 points.
Goalie Matchup (2018-19 Stats)
79 Carter Hart50 Corey Crawford
31 GP, 16-13-1, 2.83 GAA, .917 SV%39 GP, 14-18-5, 2.93 GAA, .908 SV%

Carter Hart looks to start his second NHL season off strong by getting the start in the season opener. Hart appeared in three preseason games and the exhibition in Switzerland. Before Monday's exhibition, Hart had stopped 56 of 57 shots faced.

Corey Crawford gets the first start for the Blackhawks this season after making 39 starts last season. Crawford has a 2-6-0 record against the Flyers in his career with a 2.79 GAA.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick, Andy Welinski

Left WingCenterRight Wing
28 Claude Giroux13 Kevin Hayes93 Jake Voracek
23 Oskar Lindblom14 Sean Couturier11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk21 Scott Laughton81 Carsen Twarynski
12 Michael Raffl82 Connor Bunnaman18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim15 Matt Niskanen
8 Robert Hagg53 Shayne Gostisbehere
Goalie
79 Carter Hart37 Brian Elliott

Lineup Notes

Plenty of new faces in the Flyers lineup with Kevin Hayes centering the "top" line with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek. Carsen Twarynski will debut on the third line, Connor Bunnaman will center the fourth line and Tyler Pitlick will make his Flyers debut on the fourth line as well. Defensively, Justin Braun lines up with Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen with Travis Sanheim for their Flyers debuts.

Blackhawks Projected Lineup

Injuries: Connor Murphy, John Quenneville

Scratches: Calvin de Haan

Left WingCenterRight Wing
92 Alex Nylander19 Jonathan Toews88 Patrick Kane
12 Alex DeBrincat17 Dylan Strome65 Andrew Shaw
 20 Brandon Saad64 David Kampf8 Dominik Kubalik
15 Zack Smith22 Ryan Carpenter 91 Drake Caggiula
Defense
2 Duncan Keith56 Erik Gustafsson
6 Olli Maatta7 Brent Seabrook
68 Slater Koekkoek39 Dennis Gilbert
Goalie
50 Corey Crawford40 Robin Lehner

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (23rd), Blackhawks (15th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (26th), Blackhawks (31st) 
  • Recent History vs. Blackhawks
    • Nov. 10, 2018 - Flyers 4, Blackhawks 0 (at PHI)
    • March 21, 2019 - Flyers 3, Blackhawks 1 (at CHI)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Blackhawks
    • Claude Giroux - 16 GP, 5 G, 18 A, 23 P
    • Sean Couturier - 12 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
    • Jake Voracek - 30 GP, 6 G, 17 A, 23 P
    • Carter Hart - 1 GP, 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .976 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.

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