The Flyers will face the Carolina Hurricanes at 7PM tonight, and the prospects of a coveted defeat seem extremely high. For one thing, the team is on the second half of a back to back. And when you rob a team who is severely untalented of a high energy level? The results are usually calamitous.

The Flyers know that well, as they’ve yet to win any of their 6 games on the second half of a back to back. The Hurricanes are also playing for the second day, of course. Their energy levels will likely be low, too. But the Hurricanes have such a steep talent advantage that the generally low-energy game will almost certainly be to their advantage.

What’s Up With the Goalies?

The Flyers won’t have Carter Hart. They’re on the second half of a back to back, after all. This is usually when goalies rest. There’ was rampant speculation that Tortorella may throw the book out the window, and start Hart again anyway.

That proved untrue.

Instead, Sam Ersson will make his NHL Debut. After having the best performance of any netminder in camp, there is some anticipation to see how he’ll do in the NHL for real. But he is a rookie netminder after all, expectations shouldn’t be held too high.

That is especially true with the Flyers. Welcome, Tank Commander Ersson.

The Flyers caught a break tonight. The Hurricanes have chosen to go with Anti Raanta in net, and give rising star Pyotr Kochetkov another night off after sustaining a nagging lower body injury.

Raanta has had a solid season to date. But he’s an older goalie starting both halves of a back to back. So much like a rookie, I have no idea what to expect.

Unlike most games where Carter Hart is tending the goal, the Flyers won’t have a clear goalie advantage.

Good. Carter needs to stop ruining my tanking efforts.

Read More: Carter Hart is Ruining My Mental Health

Morgan Frost Looks to “Rebound” From “Brutal 40 Minutes?”

See, after Morgan Frost scored his 3rd goal in 3 games–in exceedingly sweet fashion, mind you–I thought I’d be talking about how he would be looking to continue his recent stretch of admirable and productive play.

John Tortorella appeared to disagree entirely with that premise, because he described the young center’s play as “brutal” for the first two periods. And while he said he “got involved in some scoring chances,” he did nothing to suggest that he saw a notable improvement in the third.

My only question is: what the hell illicit substance is John Tortorella smoking?

On a list of Flyers who had brutal performances yesterday, it is an extensive list, Frost would come in dead last. This was true by the eye test, to basically everyone besides “Torts.”

And it was confirmed by a statistical deep dive into the team’s performance.

Morgan Frost was on the ice for 12 shot attempts by the Flyers, and 7 by the Maple Leafs. A Corsi For of 12 and a Corsi Against of 7.

The Flyers had a Corsi For of 30 and a Corsi Against of 41 total.

Just a cursory glance at the numbers suggests that the “brutal” moments of the Flyers game game from essentially every minute that Frost didn’t play.

I’m sure there’s an army of his sycophants ready to rage at me for observing simple facts, but so be it. Torts had totally lost the plot on that take.

So Frost will look to continue his recent good play, and John Tortorella will look to have his damn eyes checked and see this game a bit more accurately than the last.

Will Our Top Pair Avoid Getting Pounded?

A common thread to many of the Flyers’ recent games has been the top-pair of Ivan Provorov and Rasmus Ristolainnen getting absolutely throttled.

Provorov and Ristolainnen have gotten a 43% of the expected goals throughout their play this season. Which is a truly abysmal, pathetic number.

The only defenseman doing worse has been Tony DeAngelo, who we acquired to be Provorov’s partner in the first place.

So the top pair is a problem.

Against a talented team like the Hurricanes with a truly exceptional top-pair of Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns, that’s a pretty big problem.

Well, unless the objective is to lose. Which it is. In that case, it’s a really good thing that our top pair is a total dumpster fire.

But even though losing is the goal, Provorov did come into this year with something to prove.

Is this guy a top-pair defenseman? Or did he just get put in Matt Niskanen’s backpack for 6 months and fool us into thinking so?

34 games in, it sure as hell looks like the latter.

The Lines:

Who the hell knows anymore? I’ve given up tracking them.

Though I will say, the Farabee-Frost-Konecny line looked like it had serious potential.

And please, for the love of God, can we get York back in the top 4? I beg.

Prediction:

4-1 Hurricanes.