Flyers-Hurricanes Preview: Storms Brewing

The noise surrounding the Flyers organization continues to swirl and will as the offseason approaches, signifying the next significant mark when major changes could be on the horizon. For now, 18 games remain on the Flyers schedule, starting with Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes currently sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings, another team securely in the playoff race with sights set on big things in the coming months. The Hurricanes have won eight of their last 10 games entering Thursday, while the Flyers have lost nine of their last 11 games.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Carolina Hurricanes	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	52	27	27	54	Martin Necas	62	25	34	59
Kevin Hayes	63	17	32	49	Sebastian Aho	55	27	28	55
Scott Laughton	60	15	21	36	Andrei Svechnikov	62	22	32	54
Tony DeAngelo	59	10	24	34	Brent Burns	62	12	38	50
Owen Tippett	59	18	16	34	Shayne Gostisbehere	55	12	23	35

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Tyson Foerster is set to make his NHL debut on Thursday night. The 2020 first-round pick has 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.

Martin Necas continues to put together a strong season. While he was held off the scoresheet in his last game against Montreal, Necas had seven points over his previous three games, including three assists against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Necas has a goal and three assists in the two meetings against the Flyers this season.

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Felix Sandstrom gets the start for the Flyers. This is Sandstrom's first start since Feb. 12, when he allowed four goals on 21 shots in a loss to Seattle. In eight of his 10 starts this season, Sandstrom has allowed three goals or more.

Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start for Carolina. Kochetkov makes his first NHL start since Jan. 15, an overtime loss to Vancouver where he allowed three goals on 32 shots. Kochetkov has a personal four-game losing streak coming into the game. His last win at the NHL level came on Dec. 20 against New Jersey.

Projected Lineups

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Flyers Scratches: Sean Couturier (injury), Travis Konecny (injury), Wade Allison (injury), Brendan Lemieux (injury), Tony DeAngelo (suspension)

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Hurricanes Scratches: Antti Raanta (injury), Jalen Chatfield (injury), Ondrej Kase (injury), Max Pacioretty (injury), Dylan Coghlan (healthy), Jesse Puljujarvi (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: In addition to Foerster's debut, Elliot Desnoyers also returns to the lineup on a recall under emergency conditions. Both Wade Allison and Brendan Lemieux are "banged up" and considered day-to-day at this time. Kieffer Bellows will also return to the lineup. The Flyers will go back to 12 forwards and six defensemen with Tony DeAngelo serving the first game of a two-game suspension for spearing in the third period of Tuesday's loss in Tampa Bay.
Hurricanes: No changes are expected to the Hurricanes lineup.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (32nd), Hurricanes (13th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (24th), Hurricanes (2nd)
Recent History vs. Hurricanes
- Dec. 23, 2022 - Hurricanes 6, Flyers 5 (at CAR)
- Oct. 29, 2022 - Hurricanes 4, Flyers 3 (F/OT) (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Hurricanes
- James van Riemsdyk: 38 GP, 6 G, 15 A, 21 P
- Ivan Provorov: 23 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
- Scott Laughton: 21 GP, 3 G, 7 A, 10 P
- Kevin Hayes: 28 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P
- Carter Hart: 8 GP, 3-4-1, 3.19 GAA, .905 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Travis Sanheim needs one assist to reach 100 for his career.
- Justin Braun needs two points to reach 200 for his career.
- James van Riemsdyk needs three goals to reach 300 for his career.