Flyers vs. Blackhawks
8 p.m. on NBCSN
The Flyers (1-1-1) will host the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks (2-1-0) at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.
The team will kick off the night by honoring longtime defenseman Kimmo Timonen with a pregame ceremony celebrating his 16-year NHL career (see story).
Here are five things you need to know before the Flyers take a five-day break from game action:
1. Where’s the offense?
Through the first three games of the season, the Flyers’ offense hasn’t quite clicked. They’ve scored just four goals overall with two coming at even-strength and the other two on the man advantage.
Should we be concerned? Not yet.
The Flyers are getting their chances, particularly the top line. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Michael Raffl have just one assist between the three of them but have been spending a lot of time in the offensive zone and dominating the possession numbers. The trio has also combined for 29 shots on goal and sees time on the first power-play unit. Pucks are bound to start going in.
NHL
2. Not bad, Neuvirth
Nights like Monday are the exact reason why the Flyers went out and signed Michal Neuvirth to a two-year deal this past summer.
Steve Mason, unfortunately, is dealing with a personal family matter and wasn’t with the team for the home opener against the Panthers. Enter Neuvirth. The Flyers knew Mason wasn’t going to play 82 games this season, so they acquired a capable backup who will keep games close when Mason needs a night off.
And what did Neuvirth do? Oh, he only pitched a shutout in his first career start for the Flyers, turning aside all 31 shots fired his way. It was a gutsy effort, especially considering Neuvirth didn’t know he was going to start until Monday morning.
The 27-year-old is an extremely athletic goalie with fast reflexes and a calming influence in the net. He could be a quality starter in another city, but an up-and-down season with the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders in 2014-15 and consistency issues throughout his career caused teams to look elsewhere in free agency over the summer. So the Flyers snagged him at a very manageable cap hit of $1.625 million.
You need a solid goalie tandem if you want to find success in the NHL. If Mason and Neuvirth can maintain a high level of play, the Flyers will easily eclipse last season’s win total of 33. Don’t expect shutouts every night, but the guys between the pipes don’t appear like they’re going to be an issue.
3. Kane on fire
Blackhawks star Patrick Kane had a tumultuous offseason. He was accused of sexual assault at his Buffalo-area home in August, though no charges have been filed in the case.
Many thought his presence at Chicago's training camp was inappropriate and that he could potentially cause a distraction to the team as it prepares to defend its third Stanley Cup championship since 2010.
Well, Kane's play hasn't been affected by the situation at all. The 26-year-old has three goals and three assists in the Blackhawks' first three games this season. Slowing him down could prove to be a tough task for the Flyers’ defense.
4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: Sam Gagner made his presence felt in his Flyers debut Monday, earning an assist on Brayden Schenn’s rebound goal in the first period against Florida. Gagner did a nice job picking the puck up off the rush and putting it on net for Schenn. Later in the game, however, Gagner had a clear shot on a two-on-one but tried to force a pass instead, which led to a turnover. He’s a natural playmaker, but you’d like to see him be more selfish in those situations. Either way, he adds a scoring punch up front and could make it difficult for coach Dave Hakstol to take him out of the lineup if he continues to produce while R.J. Umberger recovers from an upper-body injury.
Blackhawks: Who is Artemi Panarin and where did he come from? You might be asking yourself that question after glancing at Chicago’s statistics. Panarin, a 23-year-old Russian, is a highly-skilled winger who's incredibly creative with the puck. He has a knack for finding the open man and is lethal when given too much space. After spending the last two years in the KHL with SKA Saint Petersburg, Panarin signed a two-year deal with the 'Hawks in April. He's already made an impact, potting two goals and two assists in three games this season. He wears No. 72 and plays on a line with Kane. It’ll be hard to miss him.
5. This and that
• The Flyers and Blackhawks split two games last season, with each team winning on home ice.
• Brayden Schenn has six goals and four assists in his last nine games, dating back to last season.
• Corey Crawford is 0-2-0 with a 3.52 goals-against average and .984 save percentage in two career starts against the Flyers.
• Giroux is winning 61.2 percent of his faceoffs this season. Sean Couturier (47.7), Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (40.6) and Scott Laughton (30.6) have struggled on draws.
• Chicago has not won a regular-season game in Philadelphia since Nov. 9, 1996. The Blackhawks did win this game in Philly, though.