Concluding their four-game road trip to start the 2024-25 regular season, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (1-1-1) are in Washington State to take on Dan Bylsma's Seattle Kraken (2-2-0). Game time at Climate Pledge Arena is 10:00 p.m. EDT.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the first of two meetings between the interconference teams this season. The clubs will rematch at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on the afternoon of March 8, 2025. Last season, the Flyers went 1-0-1 against the Kraken. All time, the Flyers are 3-2-1 vs. Seattle since the Kraken entered the NHL in 2021-22.
Here are five things to watch in Thursday's game.
1. Tipping point
Flyers winger Owen Tippett is coming off seasons of 27 goals in 2022-23 and 28 goals 2023-24. Through the first three games of the 2024-25 campaign, Tippett is still looking for his first goal. He has one assist, posted on Matvei Mickov's first of two power play goals in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss in Edmonton.
What's hidden therein is how close the 25-year-old appears to be to a breakout game where the puck starts to go in the net for him. Example: During the third period of Tuesday's game. Tippett made an impressive individual effort on which he beat Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner cleanly but the shot went off the post and stayed out.
Over the first three games, Tippett has registered nine shots on goal. He's also missed the net on a couple of prime looks. He recorded five shots on goal against the Oilers.
As with many goal scorers, once Tippett gets one goal to go in, he often goes on a multi-game run in which he scores in bunches for a while. He's right on the verge of such a run as the Flyers prepare to play the Kraken.
2. Matveimania is running wild
Nineteen-year-old Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov recorded his first NHL point last Saturday in Calgary, setting up a Travis Konecny for a power play goal. It was the "tac" of a tic-tac-toe connection between Morgan Frost, Michkov and Konecny.
On Tuesday in Edmonton, Michkov struck in the first period for his first two NHL regular season goals. First, he jammed the puck inside the right post for a score with his feet just below the goal line.The assists went to Tippett and Frost. Later, from just below the dot in the right circle, he one-timed a Frost pass into the net. Konecny drew the secondary assist.
Michkov and Konecny are the only Flyers thus far with more than one goal to their credit.
3. F Troop update: Farabee, Foerster and Frost
It's been an eventful first three games of the season for the Flyers "F Troop" trio of Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster and Frost.
Farabee has opened the campaign with points (1g, 2a) in each of the first three matches. He's generally been on the left wing of a line with Bobby Brink (1g, 2a). He's played with different centers, including 18-year-old rookie Jett Luchanko (2 games played) and team captain Sean Couturier (0g, 1a).
In the third period of the Edmonton game, Farabee matched 39-year-old veteran power forward Corey Perry chirp-for-chirp right after Couturier fought. Farabee and Perry then dropped the gloves immediately after the next faceoff. Farabee didn't back down from an intimidating player who has logged 1,433 penalty minutes to go with 906 career points.
Foerster (1g, 0a) scored the Flyers' first goal of the season in last Friday's opener in Vancouver. In Calgary, he came to the defense of teammate Jamie Drysdale after Martin Pospisil steamrolled the Flyers' blueliner at center ice. It was Foerster's first career fight in pro hockey, and he only had one previously in major junior (Ontario Hockey League).
By the eye test, the game in Edmonton was one of Foerster's "A" performances. He normally wins the decided majority of 50-50 puck battles but did not have his best of nights in that area against the Oilers. Look for a quick bounceback in Seattle, as Foerster rarely has had back-to-back games in his young career where he loses more possession scrums than he wins.
Frost led the Flyers in assists (22) over the final 44 games of last season and was third in points (30). Through the first three games of 2023-24, he is the lone Flyer thus far with at least three assists.
Frost is still looking for his first goal of the 2024-25 season but he did score the winner in the shootout on opening night in Vancouver.
4. Eye on special teams
The Flyers have started the new season by going 12-for-14 on the penalty kill. They have yet to allow a 5-on-4 power play goal. In Calgary, the Flyers yielded goals at 4-on-3 and 5-on-3. On the flip side, Scott Laughton and Konecny worked a give-and-go for a shorthanded marker.
The Flyers power play has gotten off to a good start, with four goals on 15 opportunities over the games in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Seattle has killed off seven of nine penalties so far. The Kraken are 1-for-9 on the power play.
5. Behind enemy lines: Seattle Kraken
Under former head coach Dave Hakstol, the Kraken established an identity as an opportunistic team with active sticks to pressure turnovers and partially compensate for being thin on high-end skill as a young franchise. New head coach Bylsma has been brought in to try to bring a bit more offensive juice.
This past weekend, the Kraken grabbed a 5-4 (2-1) shootout road win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Seattle trailed 2-0 before even strength and power play goals by veteran Jordan Eberle tied the score.
In the third period, Seattle pushed back from 3-2 and 4-3 deficits as former Soo Greyhounds forward Tye Kartye and veteran Jared McCann erased Minnesota leads to force sudden death and an eventual shootout.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eberle (shootout winner) responded after a first round goal by veteran Mats Zuccarello.
Joey Daccord (30 saves on 34 shots in regulation and OT, 2-for-3 in the shootout) earned the win in Minnesota. He recently signed a five-year-contract extension with Seattle.
The Kraken played in Dallas the next night. The Stars parlayed two closely spaced goals late in the first period into a 2-0 shutout victory. Veteran Philipp Grubauer took the loss in net. On Tuesday, however, Seattle erupted offensively for a 7-3 road win in Nashville.
Through four games, veteran Eberle leads the Kraken with three goals among his four points. Jared McCann has also posted four points (2g, 2a).
