Flyers-Bruins Preview: Weather the Storm

After winning the opening game of a 10-game gauntlet against the Florida Panthers, the Flyers have been feeling the wrath of the playoff push. Between injuries on the blue line and perennial playoff teams taking over games, the last three games for the Flyers have been far from the quality that has become the standard.

The road doesn't get any easier on Saturday night as the Flyers take on the Boston Bruins, who have a 4-1-1 record in their last six games.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Boston Bruins	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	61	27	30	57	David Pastrnak	68	41	54	95
Joel Farabee	67	19	27	46	Brad Marchand	68	27	32	59
Owen Tippett	63	24	16	40	Charlie Coyle	68	21	31	52
Travis Sanheim	66	8	31	39	Pavel Zacha	64	17	28	45
Sean Couturier	63	11	25	36	Charlie McAvoy	60	9	33	42

Owen Tippett got back on the board with a power-play goal in Thursday's loss to Toronto, giving him goals in two straight games. The Flyers are going to need several players to get hot to maintain their playoff push, and having Tippett find his scoring touch again would be a help.

David Pastrnak went through a 15-game stretch with just five goals after a three-point game against the Flyers on Jan. 27. Since then, he had goals in three straight games before being held off the board in Boston's last game on Thursday against Montreal. The noted Flyer killer could be poised for another big game on Saturday.

Felix Sandstrom gets the start for the Flyers. Sandstrom entered in relief on Thursday, making 12 saves on 15 shots against Toronto over the final two periods. His only start of the season came against Ottawa on March 2, making 24 saves on 26 shots in a win.

Jeremy Swayman gets the start for the Bruins. Swayman allowed four goals on 21 shots in a loss to St. Louis in his last start on Monday. That snapped a personal three-game winning streak for Swayman, which included back-to-back games against Toronto allowing one goal in each.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Jamie Drysdale (injury), Rasmus Ristolainen (injury), Nick Seeler (injury), Denis Gurianov (healthy), Bobby Brink (healthy)

Bruins Scratches: Mason Lohrei (healthy), Kevin Shattenkirk (healthy), Jakub Lauko (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Denis Gurianov and Bobby Brink come out of the lineup while Cam Atkinson and Nick Deslauriers return. No other changes are expected.
Bruins: After missing Thursday's game with illness, both James van Riemsdyk and Matt Grzelcyk are expected to return to the lineup.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (13.2% - 32nd), Bruins (23.2% - 9th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (85.0% - 3rd), Bruins (81.9% - 8th)
Recent History vs. Bruins
- Jan. 27, 2024 - Bruins 6, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Bruins
- Sean Couturier: 33 GP, 9 G, 10 A, 19 P
- Travis Konecny: 26 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 P
- Travis Sanheim: 23 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
- Sam Ersson: 2 GP, 0-1-0, 6.87 GAA, .778 SV%
- Felix Sandstrom: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 5.24 GAA, .853 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Joel Farabee needs one assist to reach 100 for his career.
- Sean Couturier needs four points to reach 500 for his career.