Hakstol’s home hex
Before the Flyers went West, the edgy Philly fan base wanted coach Dave Hakstol’s head. Cue the sweep of Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, with just five goals allowed, and he has a reprieve from the mob. But with a conference-worst four home victories, the Flyers will have to keep it going on Broad Street.
No red-light Fred
Frederik Andersen’s 4-2 loss to the Flyers at the ACC on Oct. 28 was his first in seven encounters against the black and orange, so that’s plenty of motivation for Toronto’s early season MVP. Brian Elliott was a catalyst for Philly on its road trip, in for all three wins and a .954 save percentage.
Naz-a-ma-taz
Two goals against the Flyers in the last meeting marked the sixth time Nazem Kadri has fallen a goal shy of an NHL hat trick. He’s doing a lot of other things right for the Leafs of late, but the road situation will make it harder for coach Mike Babcock to utilize him as a shutdown centre without last line change.
Raffl ticket
Austrian Michael Raffl has moved from the fourth line to an effective top-six winger, using size and speed to make things happen. That has been a big help to what was a critical deficit of secondary scoring for the Flyers.
Auston power
Auston Matthews is on the trip, but whether he’s well enough to play this game is unknown. If not, it would be the type of game that fourth-line winger Josh Leivo should be able to thrive in, never mind another chance at centre on the big line for William Nylander.