What to watch as the Flyers will play at Lake Tahoe against Bruins
Photo by Matt Slocum/Associated Press
The great outdoors, what a beautiful sight! Especially along the lakefront fairway of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. This is where the Philadelphia Flyers will play the Boston Bruins Sunday night.
Here are three storylines to watch out for:
Outdoors history
The Flyers are playing in their fifth outdoor game, which is tied for the second-most in the NHL (Chicago: 6, Pittsburgh: 5). The Flyers have a 1-2-1 record, winning their last outdoor game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia 4-3 in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Three of the four Flyers’ outdoor games have been decided by one goal, including two in overtime.
The Flyers have scored just one goal in the first period in their previous outdoor games, and have recorded five of their nine total goals in the second period.
Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault has coached in three outdoor games, he is 3-0. Today will also be AV’s 1,300th game coached in the NHL.
For the Bruins, this’ll be their fourth outdoor game, and their first since the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame against the Chicago Blackhawks, in which they earned a 4-2 win.
The Bruins are 2-1-0 in outdoor action with an even 7-7 goals for & against. They have scored four of their seven goals in the third period in outdoor games, but they’ve allowed six of seven goals in the second (four) & third periods (two).
Patrice Bergeron is the only Bruin to have played in all three Bruins outdoor games, he has three points (one goal and two assists) in the three games.
The Flyers and Bruins met in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston. Regulation would end in a 1-1 tie. Marco Sturm would score in overtime to give Boston the win.
Struggles versus Bruins
This is the fifth game of the season against the Bruins with the Flyers dropping the previous four games, going 0-2-2, this is the main reason why the second-place Flyers will enter the game trailing the Bruins by three points in the standings.
However, the Flyers have led in the third period in three of the games. A 2-1 regulation loss in the most recent meeting was arguably the best overall 60-minute effort the Flyers have given this season, except for a disastrous 27-second span where Boston tied the game and then take the lead.
The only non-competitive game between the clubs this season was a 6-1 beating the Flyers took at TD Garden on Jan. 23.
“Other than the one game, they’ve been hard-fought and very competitive,” Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said, “It goes down at the end of the game [to execution and details on single shifts]. Can you make a defensive play? Can you make an offensive play? Are you getting that save?
“I expect Boston to play extremely well. I expect us to play extremely well, and play hard. They’re always tough games, and it’s going to be another tough one on Sunday.”
Flyers without 6 key forwards again due to COVID protocol
It’ll be the second straight game without the following forwards, team captain center Claude Giroux(missing his first outdoor game), center Scott Laughton, wingers Jakub Voracek, Travis Konecny, and Oskar Lindblom, and starting defenseman Justin Braun. All six players remain on the COVID protocol list and were not able to make the trip with their teammates. The Flyers played a game without the six forwards on Thursday as they played hard, but they only got one point from a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers looked very strong without the big forwards, and they can still be a good hockey team,
The Bruins have a relatively full lineup, of course. There are no Boston players in COVID protocol. The Bruins will be without veteran second-line center David Krejci and defenseman Matt Grzelcy.
“Their top line [Patrice Bergeron centering Brad Marchand and Pastrnak] has obviously been on the best lines in the NHL for quite awhile now. They’re tough to play against, and they’re a big challenge. Obviously, they have some good goaltending. Put all that together. They’re a well-coached team, pretty balanced. We’ll have to bring our A-game and show them what we’ve got,” Flyers forward Sean Couturier said.
Tonightโs essentials
- When: 7:30 P.M. E.S.T.
- Where: Along the lakefront fairway of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada
- Broadcast: NBC Sports Network
- Radio: 93.3 WMMR
- Social media coverage: Philly Sports Reportsโ Twitter & Instagram
It’ll be quite an experience for these two clubs, lets just hope the sights boost the Flyers to win.
