The Philadelphia Flyers face the Toronto Maple Leafs with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Flyers have a 5-3-1 record while the Maple Leafs have a 4-4-2 record and have lost their last four games in a row. The Flyers are looking to continue to build their strong record in the Metropolitan Division while the Maple Leafs are looking to turn around in the Atlantic Division and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Flyers are off to a strong start to the season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.00 goals per game. Kevin Hayes, Joel Farabee, and Travis Konecny have scored seven goals and 17 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Scott Laughton, Wade Allison, and Morgan Frost have combined for seven goals and two assists while defensemen Anthony DeAngelo and Ivan Provorov have added two goals and 10 assists from the blue line to help open up the offense.
The offense has stepped up but the defense has carried the Flyers, allowing only 2.63 goals per game. DeAngelo and Provorov have combined for 1.4 defensive point shares and 50 blocked shots to lead the top line but the rest of the unit has also stepped up with Justin Braun, Travis Sanheim, and the rest of the unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net. With the Flyers playing the second game of a back-to-back, the hope is that backup goaltender Felix Sandstrom can step up as he's saved 54 of the 60 shots faced.