Flyers-Panthers Preview: Ellis Out as Flyers Face Test in Undefeated Panthers

The Flyers had an early-season test against Boston on Wednesday and came away victorious with a three-goal third period. With one game remaining on a season-opening four-game homestand, the Flyers face another test against another team of to an incredibly hot start.

The undefeated Florida Panthers bring their 4-0-0 record into Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night, as the Flyers look to make it three wins in a row.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Florida Panthers	GP	G	A	P
Joel Farabee	3	3	3	6	Carter Verhaeghe	4	3	2	5
Derick Brassard	3	1	4	5	Aleksander Barkov	4	2	3	5
Keith Yandle	3	0	5	5	Sam Bennett	4	4	0	4
Travis Konecny	3	3	1	4	Aaron Ekblad	4	2	2	4
Cam Atkinson	3	3	1	4	Anton Lundell	4	2	2	4

Joel Farabee is off to a hot start with three goals, six points and three straight multi-point games to open the season. He could become just the second Flyers player in franchise history to open the season with four straight multi-point games since Orest Kindrachuk in 1977-78.

Sam Bennett is off to an equally hot start, picking up four goals in the first four games of the Panthers season, leading the team so far. Bennett had a goal in Florida's win over Colorado on Thursday and had a hat trick last Saturday.

Carter Hart is back in goal for Saturday's game and looking to build on Monday's strong performance. Hart finished with 23 saves on 24 shots in the 6-1 win over Seattle.

Sergei Bobrovsky is off to a strong start this season with wins in his first three games. After allowing four goals in his season debut, Bobrovsky has allowed just one goal in each of his last two starts, including a 30-save performance on. Thursday night. Bobrovsky also has a 15-5-1 record with a 2.29 GAA in his career against the Flyers.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Ryan Ellis (injury), Patrick Brown (healthy)

Panthers Scratches: Markus Nutivaara (injury), Olli Juolevi (injury), Joe Thornton (healthy), Ryan Lomberg (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: The Flyers were dealt a big blow to the lineup for Saturday's game with Ryan Ellis being unavailable due to injury. While it's not believed to be serious, losing the top-pairing defenseman ahead of an early-season test like this certainly doesn't help.
Panthers: The Panthers are making no changes to the lineup from their previous game on Thursday.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (2nd), Panthers (26th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (17th), Panthers (11th)
Recent History vs. Panthers
- Feb. 13, 2020 - Flyers 6, Panthers 2 (at FLA)
- Feb. 10, 2020 - Flyers 4, Panthers 1 (at PHI)
- Nov. 19, 2019 - Panthers 5, Flyers 2 (at FLA)
Flyers Leaders vs. Panthers
- Cam Atkinson - 27 GP, 9 G, 10 A, 19 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 32 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 P
- Keith Yandle - 12 GP, 0 G, 8 A, 8 P
- Claude Giroux - 40 GP, 10 G, 16 A, 26 P
- Carter Hart - 4 GP, 2-2-0, 2.58 GAA, .920 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Rasmus Ristolainen needs one assist to reach 200 for his career.
- Travis Konecny needs three goals to reach 100 for his career.