Flyers vs. Blackhawks: Full Preview, Live Stream, TV Info, Time, More

The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks met in the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Finals, which Chicago won in six games. Since that matchup, the Flyers have missed the postseason three times and haven't advanced past the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, haven't missed the postseason since and won two more titles.

On Wednesday night, the two teams will meet in a fascinating matchup between a young-and-upcoming Flyers squad and a veteran Blackhawks team that can't be pleased with a slow start, at least by the franchise's high expectations.

Below, we'll break down the viewing information and preview the matchup.

 

When: Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: United Center, Chicago

Watch: NBCSN

Stream: NBC Sports Live

         

Preview

The Flyers have featured a dangerous offense to start the season, highlighted by strong starts from Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, blue-liner Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds and team captain Claude Giroux. The team features an intriguing mix of veterans and young talent, including 20-year-olds Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov and 19-year-old Nolan Patrick.

The Flyers haven't exactly been consistent early in the season, looking at times like a potential playoff team and at other times like a younger team that will take its lumps this season. In that regard, the Blackhawks will offer an interesting litmus test for this team.

Much of the team's success is reliant on what they get out of their goalkeepers, Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott. Neuvirth has the better stats but the worst record; Elliott has had a few clunkers, but the Flyers seem to play better in front of him.

A conundrum at goalie is nothing new in Philadelphia. It seems the Flyers will go as far as their collection of talented forwards can take them this season.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are once again relying on veterans like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford, while 23-year-old winger Ryan Hartman has gotten off to an excellent start.

Chicago is younger than in years past, but it'll still go as far as players like Kane and Toews, among others, take them.

The Blackhawks haven't hit their stride yet, either, with the team's power play being particularly inept to start the season (12.7 percent). And five losses in six games have left the veteran group with more questions than answers early in the season.

The Blackhawks haven't hit the panic button just yet, however.

"We want to look at the big picture and stay positive," captain Jonathan Toews told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "There’s got to be urgency, but we can’t overreact. That only makes things worse."

Head coach Joel Quenneville agreed with that general sentiment.

"Obviously, we can’t be happy," he said. "Gets your attention, for sure."

For the Blackhawks, then, the Flyers will be an interesting litmus test as well. Can the shaky blue line hold up against a dangerous Philly attack? Can they finally get the power play going? Will the offense take advantage of Philly's inconsistent goalkeeping?

Coming into the season, it was fair to wonder if the Flyers were a year or so away from making a playoff push. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are always a Stanley Cup contender. The fact that the two teams have started out the season with similar records, then, is a bit of a surprise. 

For the Flyers, Wednesday's result probably won't be relevant beyond the opportunity to compare themselves against a perennial playoff side. But for the Blackhawks, ending their current skid with haste and reigniting a power play that has become easily their biggest issue is hugely important.

There's no time like the present, as the old saying goes.

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2zmfSqX