Flyers at Lightning
7:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet
The Dave Hakstol era begins in the Sunshine State.
The Flyers will open their regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Amalie Arena. Then it’s on to Sunrise, Florida, for a matchup with the Panthers before Monday’s home opener at the Wells Fargo Center.
Let’s get to it!
1. Clean slate
Forget last season’s 33-31-18 record. Forget all the missed opportunities for an extra point because of blown leads that led to overtime and shootout losses. Forget the crippling turnovers and poor PK.
It’s a new season. And at least one Flyer is taking the ice with sky-high expectations. Jakub Voracek doesn’t want to hit the links early again this spring. He’s talking playoffs.
“One-hundred percent,” Voracek said Thursday. “My expectations aren't only to make the playoffs but to hopefully make a run. We gotta put up higher stakes. What else do we play for? Just to play? No, that's not the way. Teams don't think that way."
NHL
The Flyers didn’t overhaul their roster this summer. Sure, they have a new coach and brought in a few free agents, but it’s essentially the same core group as last season. But things are different. Matt Read and R.J. Umberger are healthy. Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn are going to be given another opportunity to break out. Steve Mason has a capable backup in Michal Neuvirth. Now, it’s time to get to work.
“Everybody's really excited but you have to keep your excitement and emotions in check in order to play a good team game,” veteran Mark Streit said.
2. Schenn over Gudas
Luke Schenn had a rather tumultuous training camp. On top of the constant trade rumors that have followed Schenn throughout his entire career, there was added speculation that he would hit the waiver wire earlier this week when he was used on the fourth pair at practice with Andrew MacDonald.
The Flyers wound up placing MacDonald and his $5 million cap hit on waivers instead, which seemingly left Schenn, whose contract expires after this season, as the team’s seventh defenseman entering the 2015-16 campaign.
But give Schenn credit. He didn’t pout. He continued to grind during the Flyers’ practice sessions and earned himself a look on a pair with newcomer Evgeny Medvedev, who had been skating with Radko Gudas.
Schenn and Gudas alternated in and out of drills the past few days, but it was Schenn who stood out to Hakstol. So Schenn will get the nod against Tampa, and Gudas, a former member of the Lightning, will watch from the press box as a healthy scratch.
“Pretty much all week long, Luke’s been in that position [with Medvedev],” Hakstol said Thursday. “He’s been rock solid from the start of camp. He’s done a good job and he’s competed hard. He’ll be the guy that’s in that spot [in the opener].
“I think it’s a good pair when you look at what the two guys bring. It’s a good combination.”
3. In the crease
Talk about a marquee goaltending matchup. Mason is slated to go head-to-head against 6-foot-7 Bolts netminder Ben Bishop Thursday night.
Statistically, Mason had a career year in 2014-15, finishing third in the NHL in save percentage (.928) and sixth in goals-against average (2.25). He was equally impressive in the preseason, crediting added offseason prep work for his sharp play.
Bishop, returning from groin surgery, is expected to get the bulk of the workload in Tampa after guiding the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final. He went 40-13-5 with a 2.32 GAA and .916 save percentage last season.
4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: Let’s go with the Flyers’ $66 million man. Voracek, the team’s MVP last season, inked an eight-year extension this summer after breaking out for 22 goals and 81 points, good for fourth in the league, in 82 games last season. The 26-year-old also made his first All-Star appearance, was named to the NHL's first All-Star team and took home the Golden Hockey Stick as the best Czech player in the world for 2015. He’s an emerging superstar. Don’t be surprised if he’s in the running for the scoring title.
Lightning: Tampa has one of the most electric players in the game today in Steven Stamkos. You may have heard of him. The 25-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract, finished second in the NHL in goals last season with 43 but failed to find the back of the net in the Lightning’s last eight playoff games. He was moved to the wing during that stretch, and head coach Jon Cooper hasn’t yet revealed if he’ll move Stamkos back to his natural center position. Wherever he plays, you’ll notice No. 91. He’s absolutely lights out against the Flyers (more below).
5. This and that
• Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Flyers have gone 4-12-1 against the Lightning while being outscored by a 67-46 margin.
• The Flyers' last win in Tampa came on Feb. 15, 2011. They've dropped seven straight overall at Amalie Arena, where the Lightning posted a 32-8-1 record last season.
• Stamkos has 15 goals and six assists in his last 15 games versus the Flyers.
• Gudas, acquired by the Flyers in the Braydon Coburn trade deadline deal last season, has not appeared in an NHL game since Dec. 29, 2014.
•Former Flyers goalie Ray Emery spent time with the Lightning during the preseason but was released from his professional tryout after the team claimed Kevin Poulin off waivers from the New York Islanders.
• Transitioning from NCAA hockey to the NHL, Hakstol on Thursday was asked if he’s been studying the rulebook. “I got the cliff notes,” he said. A reporter then suggested he read Hockey for Dummies. “That’s appropriate for me," Hakstol quipped.