Brian Elliott in net, other lineup tweaks possible for Flyers-Maple Leafs tonight at 7
Coach Alain Vigneault said pregame warmups would determine the availability of some of his regular players. He didn't specifically name Sean Couturier, but the Flyers center is dealing with some sort of injury.
Flyers coach Alain Vigneault would not specify but said the availability of some of his players for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs will be determined following pregame warmups.
Sean Couturier is one player dealing with undisclosed discomfort, despite scoring the game-winner in Friday’s shootout win at New Jersey. Vigneault would not confirm if the Flyers’ best faceoff man, who took just three chances against the Devils and five on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, is one of the players questionable for tonight.
“We’ve got a couple little bumps and bruises here, so some guys are going to take warmup, and I’ll know after warmup,” Vigneault said. “Sorry I can’t really fill you in on all the details ... I’ll know after warmup.”
The Maple Leafs, who are 2-3-2 in their last seven, will again be without team captain John Tavares (broken finger). Tavares will miss his seventh game. He started the season with seven points in Toronto’s first eight games.
“We’re doing everything we can to get him ready, [but] that’s why we don’t make those medical decisions,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock told the Toronto Sun after Tavares skated Friday morning at the Wells Fargo Center. "Obviously he’d [have] been in a week ago if I was in charge of that department.”
The Leafs also will be without defenseman Jake Muzzin (charley horse) and winger Zach Hyman (knee).
Dump-ins
♦ Brian Elliott will start in net on Saturday night (7 p.m., NBCSP) in his first game against the Leafs since giving up six goals in a loss last March. Elliott was peppered with 51 shots that night. ... The Leafs will counter with Frederik Andersen, who also gave up six goals in that March game, a 7-6 Leafs win. After winning his first six career starts against the Flyers, Andersen is 1-2-2 in his last five with an .888 save percentage against Philadelphia.
♦ Rivers Casino, the former Sugarhouse, had the Flyers as a light underdog at +110 an hour before face-off. FanDuel and PointsBet were at +115. The over/under is 6.5 in some places, though DraftKings has 7. It’s the only 7 on their board of 12 night games.
♦ Saturday was the first of a three-game homestand. The Flyers host Carolina on Tuesday and Montreal on Thursday.