With their backs against the wall in a 3-0 series hole, the Philadelphia Flyers have some decisions to make ahead of Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday evening.
Forcing some of those decisions is the absence of forward Owen Tippett, who has been out for the Flyers since Game 6 of the Round 1 series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Despite skating with the team, head coach Rick Tocchet announced Saturday that Tippett won’t return for the Flyers just yet, marking his fourth consecutive absence due to an undisclosed injury.
The Flyers are again without Noah Cates and Tippett, which has forced Denver Barkey into the center position with Alex Bump establishing himself in the lineup.
As for further lineup changes, the defense has been a topic of discussion recently, given how anemic the Flyers’ power play has been all year long.
Jamie Drysdale made a costly gaffe on the hapless man advantage in Game 3 on Thursday night, and Rasmus Ristolainen has offered next to nothing on the second unit.
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With those two power play quarterbacks not working, the Flyers figured adding Cam York next to Ristolainen on the second unit would help… it did not.
According to Tocchet, though, prospect defenseman Oliver Bonk, with his one game of NHL experience and half a season of pro experience in the AHL, is “in the mix” to play for the Flyers in Game 4.
Bonk, 21, has power play experience and can do the job in limited minutes, but it’s a tough spot for him nonetheless.
Fellow defenseman David Jiricek could also be an option for the Flyers given his talents and power play prowess, though he has not played an NHL game since January, when he was still with the Minnesota Wild.
David vs. Goliath: Flyers May Need Jiricek to Defeat Mighty Hurricanes
David vs. Goliath: Flyers May Need Jiricek to Defeat Mighty Hurricanes The Philadelphia Flyers desperately need David Jiricek to infuse some skill into an uninspiring defense corps in order to outlast the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Jiricek, 22, has two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points in 85 career AHL games, ripped off 13 points in 15 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms post-trade, and has been playing pro since the 2019-20.
The Flyers have some interesting decisions to make in a win-or-go-home Game 4, and it may serve them well to get some prospects into an NHL playoff game, especially against an intense team like the Hurricanes.
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