5 Things: Flyers @ Bruins | Philadelphia Flyers

John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (2-6-1) begin a busy and challenging stretch at the end of October, meeting Jim Montgomery's Boston Bruins (4-4-1) on Tuesday night. Game time at TD Garden is 7:00 p.m. EDT.

The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio show airs on 97.5 The Fanatic with a 24/7 online simulcast on Fyers Radio.

This is the first of three games this season between the Flyers and Bruins. The teams will compete again on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. The season series ends on December 7th in Boston.

The Flyers are playing their third game in four days and come into this game with a weekend split: a 7-5 home win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon and a 4-3 home loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

The Bruins are comparatively the more rested team, having played just one game since October 24th. On Saturday, the Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in dramatic fashion, 4-3 in overtime, ending a three-game drought. Team captain Brad Marchand (1st goal of the season) scored the winning goal.

Here are five things to keep in mind for Tuesday's game:

1. Tippett is heating up

With the exception of Sean Couturier's top line with Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny, much of the Flyers' forward group – particularly the players who serve as supporting offense – struggled in most of the first nine games of the season.

Among the players expected to lead the offense, Owen Tippett is one who appears to be recovering. The 25-year-old winger has scored five points (1g, 4a) in the last three games.

One bright spot from the supporting cast: Ryan Poehling has made a lot of positive changes since the Seattle game (fourth game of the season). He's been using his combination of size and speed effectively lately. Although he is not primarily used on offense, he has four assists in nine games.

2. Blueline backbone: Sanheim and Ristolainen pairing

With Cam York out with an upper-body injury he suffered on Oct. 23 in Washington, the Flyers will have to rely heavily on a revamped top pairing: Travis Sanheim (who moved from right guard to left guard) and Rasmus Ristolainen .

The duo played well on both offense and defense this past weekend, spending plenty of time on the ice. Similar performances will be required against the Bruins.

From an offensive standpoint, the Flyers scored four goals from the defensive corps last weekend. On Sunday, Sanheim scored points in both the first and third periods. He also assisted on Konecny's goal, which brought the Flyers back to 4-3. A day earlier against Minnesota, Ristolainen scored the game-winning goal in the third period. His fellow defender Nick Seeler scored a goal in the first period.

York update: The two-way defender is expected to be out for at least two weeks due to the injury he sustained last Wednesday.

3. Eyes on Andrae and Drysdale

York's injury gave second-year defenseman Emil Andrae an opportunity to show how much he has developed his game since his early NHL stint at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Andrae made his season debut on Sunday against Montreal. His play was a bright spot for Philly and the offensive-minded blueliners to stay in the lineup in upcoming games.

Andrae was paired with veteran Erik Johnson (994 regular-season NHL games played) on Sunday. The duo could stay together against the Bruins. Egor Zamula was scratched against the Canadiens.

Speaking of blueliners who could be counted on to provide offensive support, a big game from Jamie Drysdale in Boston would go a long way toward ensuring the Flyers upset the Bruins on their home ice. Drysdale (1g, 2a, 3pts) will be needed to get the Flyers to play faster on the breakout at 5-on-5 and join the rush-up ice more consistently.

4. Shift management

The Flyers have rotated a variety of different line combinations up front through the first nine games. However, regardless of who takes the ice together, these improvements are still required from the entire team:

• Puck Possession: The Flyers must attack and defend as five-man units with even strength. The defensive structure in their own zone has gradually improved throughout October, but there is still not enough puck support or communication.
• Shift after GF/GA: The Flyers' problem in the first nine games was either giving up close opposition goals OR scoring a goal, only to score one a shift or two later. Even in 2024 it is truer than ever that the change after a goal or especially an opponent's record is crucial to playing ice hockey successfully.
• Crisp line changes / 2nd period: The second period is the “long change” period, in which the players have to cover a longer distance when spontaneously changing line combinations. The Flyers' problems so far in the second third of this season haven't just been due to line change issues, but it's a fixable issue that has come up a few times.

5. Behind Enemy Lines: Boston Bruins

The Flyers know all too well the damage David Pastrnak (six goals on the season, including three power play markers) can do whenever he's open for a one-timer from the edge or lurking near the slot. Containing Pastrnak is a constant key to playing effectively against the Bruins. Likewise, Flyers players and fans are very familiar with the talents of defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

New signing Mark Kastelic, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, had an excellent game in the overtime win against Toronto. He scored one goal, blocked two shots and distributed six hits. He has six points (3g, 3a) in the first nine games of the season, which goes hand in hand with his huge stature (6-foot-8, 226 pounds) and excellent physical style.

Another new addition to Boston this season: former Tampa Bay Lightning winger Cole Koepke. The 26-year-old got off to a strong start to the season (three goals, seven points, plus 10). He also fits the style of play (tenacious around the puck, quick flick of the wrist) and physical profile (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) of the opposing players, who are having some success against Philly.