When the Philadelphia Flyers play the Florida Panthers on Sunday, they hope to make it four games in a row without a loss.
The Flyers (36-26-9, 81 points) defeated the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs this past week in retaliation for their previous defeats to those teams. On Thursday night, they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes, but they also had one-goal victories over the Maple Leafs and Bruins in between.
Particularly pleasing was the victory on Saturday afternoon over Boston, 3-2, thanks to a goal by Tyson Foerster with 1:29 left in the third session. Following a goal exchange between the two teams that occurred 56 seconds apart earlier in the period, Philadelphia was now ahead.
“It’s more about observing their reactions, and for me, it’s not just about the recent games, it’s about how we respond when we get scored on and the game is tied,” stated Flyers coach John Tortorella, emphasizing the importance of learning from setbacks and maintaining momentum during games.
On Saturday, captain Sean Couturier returned to the lineup after being benched for the previous two games. “I prefer not to dwell on the past. I just want to contribute to the team in any way I can,” Couturier commented on his return.
After losing to the Flyers on March 7, Florida (45-20-5, 95 points) will aim to seek revenge. Garnet Hathaway’s late goal secured the victory for Philadelphia in their previous matchup.
Similar to the Flyers, the Panthers will be facing a back-to-back game situation. Despite their winless streak extending to four games after a shootout loss to the Rangers, Florida leads the NHL in road wins with 24. Coach Paul Maurice emphasized the team’s success on the road due to a different mindset and simplicity in their game. Several key players like Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Jonah Gadjovich, and Gustav Forsling are expected to miss the upcoming game against Philadelphia for various reasons.
