Quick Hits: March 3, 2020
1) The Flyers will have an 11:30 a.m. practice on Tuesday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. The team will then embark on a crucial set of back-to-back games on Wednesday at Capital One Arena against the Washington Capitals and at home on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
These two games will either set the Flyers up for a legitimate push for first place in the Metro or potentially to fall behind the Pittsburgh Penguins again and back to the brink of being back in the dogfight for a wildcard spot. Winning means never having to look behind you in the standings or having to hope for outside help.
Although the Penguins have lost six in a row and are coming off a terrible western road trip (the Flyers can relate), they've had a few days to recover and regroup. Pittsburgh hosts the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday with the Flyers idle, and then visits the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. As long as the Flyers take care of their own business, they don't have to look for any help from the 15th-place and 13th-place teams in the Eastern Conference.
2) A big part of the reason for the Flyers turnaround from last season is their record so far in divisional games. Last year, the Flyers went 10-16-2 within the Metropolitan Division. To date, this season, the team has gone 14-4-4 against divisonal rivals.
Over on the Flyers' official website, I took a look at every season series to date the Flyers have had within the Metropolitan Division. One small correction: The season series finale with the Rangers on April 1 is an away game.
3) With back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday, it seems more likely that Alain Vigneault will get Brian Elliott a start in one of the two games rather than starting Carter Hart on back-to-back nights for the first time all season.
This is not a home vs. road issue at this point. Hart has played well in two of his last three road starts (at Florida on Feb. 13 and at MSG this past Sunday), so hopefully the home dominance versus road struggles discussions will die down.
If Elliott is to start a game this week, the game in Washington might be the one he gets. Elliott has played only twice since Feb. 8 (at the Islanders on Feb. 11 and at Columbus on Feb. 20). Strictly in terms of workload, giving Hart the games on Thursday at home against Carolina and on Saturday against Buffalo would give him an extra day of rest this week ahead of the Canes game. The flip side argument is that giving Hart the Caps game would keep him on a game night followed by two off-nights schedule up through March 10.
The Flyers will face a slate of six games in 11 days between March 7 to 17. Out of those, Ellliott may only get one start (one of the back-to-back home games against Minnesota and Edmonton) depending on whether Hart can continue on his roll of strong performances.
4) AHL update: The Lehigh Phantoms, coming of a split of weekend home games against the Charlotte Checkers last Friday and Saturday, return to action this Friday. The Phantoms have a ridiculous 3-in-3 slate this weekend; the epitome of the AHL's schedule at its wackiest.
The Phantoms host the Bridgport Sound Tigers at the PPL Center on Friday (7:05 p.m.) and Sunday (3:05 p.m.). In betwee, they play road game against the Binghamton Devils on Saturday (4:05 p.m.). Meanwhile, the Sound Tigers travel to Wilkes Barre on Saturday to play the WB/S Penguins (7:05 p.m.) before going right back to Allentown.
5) Flyers Warriors player Kyle Hoffman just learned that he's going to be an uncle. His brother, Tim and sister-in-law Stephanie, found a unique way to break the news to Kyle. They enlisted Flyers center Kevin Hayes to be the one to tell him.
As Flyers Warriors captain Jim Young pointed out, it was Stephanie who got the hug and Hayes who got the handshake from Kyle. Tim got nothing! All kidding aside, congratulations to the family and it was cool of Hayes to be a good sport, as usual, to deliver the news.
Warrior Kyle Hoffman, learns he’s going to be an uncle from @KevinPHayes12. Kyles brother Tim and his wife Stephanie decided to break the news in memorable fashion. pic.twitter.com/kxx26NaYNY
— Philadelphia Flyers Warriors (@FlyersWarrior) March 3, 2020
* On March 13 at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia, the Flyers Alumni will host the second annual Friday Night Fights. The FNF event, presented by David and Fill Financial, features a pre-dinner reception and open bar with the featured panelists and attending Flyers Alumni, a series of panel discussions, video highlights and entertainment emceed by hockey historian Liam Maguire, full dinner and dessert, and lots of old stories and laughs being shared in reminiscence over the old-school hockey days of the 1970s, 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s. Bill Clement will also host a segment.
The featured Flyers Alumni panelists include Dave Schultz, Dave Brown, Glen Cochrane, Bob Kelly and Jeremy Roenick. Panelists who represented rival teams include Joey Kocur, Marty McSorley, and Kelly Chase. Numerous Flyers Alumni who live in the Delaware Valley region will also attend The event starts at 6 p.m. ET.
VIP tickets are available through the 2300 Arena online box office or by contacting Flyers Alumni Association director at 215-952-5946.
* On March 27, at the Ice Works Complex in Aston, the Flyers Alumni Team will play a double header against the Flyers Warriors (A-team and B-team rosters). Proceeds benefit the Philadelphia Flyers Warriors program. General admission tickets are $20 and VIP tickets are $100. The VIP package include a post-game meet-and-greet reception with the Flyers Alumni Team and a private enclosed viewing area for the game. Tickets are available here.
* On March 28, the Flyers Alumni team -- featuring Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, Adam Hall, Nick Schultz, both Watson brothers, John Druce, Riley Cote, Todd Fedoruk, Jesse Boulerice, Brad Marsh, Rob Zepp in goal and more -- will take on the Reading Royals Alumni at Santander Arena in Reading. Game time is 4 p.m. ET. Tickets start at just $14 and are can be purchased here.