The Philadelphia Flyers are taking on the Washington Capitals who are somehow below them in the standings. Felix Sandstrom will get the net tonight as the tank for Bedard continues (7:30PM/TNT). The Flyers did not hold a morning skate so here is the projected lineup that is subject to change closer to game time.

Both of these franchises are dealing with the injury bug but the Capitals’ situation seems to be improving with the return of TJ Oshie in the lineup tonight. Oshie hasn’t played since the beginning of the season and is a valued contributor when healthy.

Pencil him in for a couple goals and maybe a nice little assist https://t.co/LXZ0MHg8Oo

— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) November 23, 2022

The Flyers, on the other hand, are essentially the Philadelphia Phantoms with a goalie. I was behind the idea of squeaking out some wins when our lineup didn’t need Jackson Cates to save the day. Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Scott Laughton, Wade Allison, James Van Riemsdyk, and of course Ryan Ellis are all injured and won’t return to play in the immediate future. What a hefty injury list.

More injury updates for the #Flyers:

– Travis Konecny out 10-14 days
– Wade Allison out 2-3 weeks
– Cam Atkinson remains week-to-week

Additionally, Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, and Bobby Brink remain on their timelines for return from surgery.

— Kevin Durso (@Kevin_Durso) November 22, 2022

It may end up being a blessing in disguise as we all know this organization is stubborn with entering rebuilds. They were thrusted into one whether they like it or not and it happened to be during the most stacked draft in recent memory. Losses feel like wins and wins still feel good, which is definitely more of a win-win than what we saw last season.

The reality is we now get to watch more lackluster hockey. Morgan Frost is still getting played in the top-six and opportunities are still there for those that remain. Owen Tippett looks like he’s getting more confident with every passing game.

Tonight is going to be two mediocre hockey teams going at on national television. Felix might be able to steal this one, but I fear the vibes are too low for me to predict a victory here. I envision a classic Ovechkin powerplay dagger that we know all too well.

Prediction: 5-3 Capitals

Credit: Philly Inquirer