The Philadelphia Flyers will seek a second straight victory without their head coach as they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Flyers associate coach Brad Shaw will once again fill in for John Tortorella, who is currently serving a two-game suspension for not leaving the bench after receiving a game misconduct during Philadelphia’s 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Despite Tortorella’s absence, the Flyers managed to narrowly defeat the tenacious San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Tuesday.
Philadelphia has been alternating between wins and losses in their last eight games. Morgan Frost had a goal and an assist in their recent game, with goals from Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett contributing to the Flyers’ win. Frost acknowledged the team needing a wakeup call in the first period but felt they improved as the game went on. Tippett’s goal was the game-winner, coming from a pass by Travis Konecny. Flyers’ goalie Samuel Ersson bounced back with a strong performance after a tough game against the Lightning. Similarly, the Maple Leafs have been alternating wins and losses in their recent games. John Tavares scored the crucial goal in their victory over the Canadiens. Maple Leafs’ goalie Ilya Samsonov played well, with Max Domi scoring a goal and assisting. Domi highlighted the team’s resilience and character in securing the win. Mitch Marner was absent from the Leafs’ lineup due to injury, raising uncertainty about his availability for the upcoming game against the Flyers. Nick Robertson was called up from the AHL in Marner’s absence.
