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.
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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.
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.
Flyers Scratches: Sean Couturier (injury), Travis Konecny (injury), Wade Allison (injury), Brendan Lemieux (injury), Tony DeAngelo (suspension)
Hurricanes Scratches: Antti Raanta (injury), Jalen Chatfield (injury), Ondrej Kase (injury), Max Pacioretty (injury), Dylan Coghlan (healthy), Jesse Puljujarvi (healthy)
