June 28, 2023
The day before a much-anticipated NHL Draft, the Flyers released their full 82-game schedule for the coming 2023-24 season, and though it's expected to be a long and trying year at only the very start of a rebuild, there's still going to be reason for fans to tune in or come out to the Wells Fargo Center.
You're just going to have to dig and temper expectations to find it.
So with that said, here are 15 (mostly) home games of interest to mark down on the schedule once the puck drops in October:
• Tuesday, Oct. 17 vs. Vancouver: The home opener, which always manages to have some sort of excitement around it, even for a coming season that's expected to be brutal. Remember, the rebuild only just got started. There's going to be pain, a lot of it, but at least there will be cool new uniforms to look at.
• Thursday, Oct. 19 vs. Edmonton: Watching Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl go to work is an absolute treat to see in person.
• Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Anaheim: The Ducks are in a rebuild themselves, so if you want to see a game the Flyers should match up well in, this will definitely be one of them. Anaheim will have some young star power with them in Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and second-overall pick Adam Fantilli Leo Carlsson, and possibly something mighty to see depending on the franchise's 30th-anniversary plans.
• Saturday, Nov. 18 vs. Vegas: The defending Stanley Cup champions pay a visit.
• Sunday, Nov. 19 vs. Columbus: Ivan Provorov's return to Philly, and given how his last couple of years went, I'm curious to see how the crowd will react to him.
• Friday, Nov. 24 vs. N.Y. Rangers: The Black Friday game and probably an early litmus test for where interest in the Flyers really is after Rangers fans took over the arena last season.
• Monday, Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh: The back half of a home-and-home in the season's first two matchups against the Penguins. The big rivalry game, though in a rivalry at a real low point.
• Monday, Jan. 8 vs. Pittsburgh: But people will show up to boo Crosby regardless.
• Sunday, Jan. 21 vs. Ottawa: Claude Giroux comes back to town.
• Saturday, Feb. 17 at New Jersey: Stadium Series up at MetLife. I know, it's not a home game, but the outdoor games always end up a spectacle, even if the Devils probably won't be a great matchup for the Flyers by then.
• Saturday, Feb. 24 vs. N.Y. Rangers: Another litmus test. If Rangers fans still have the place converted into Madison Square Garden South, it's going to be brutal.
• Saturday, Mar. 2 vs. Ottawa: Another chance to see Giroux come through.
• Monday, Mar. 4 vs. St. Louis: Kevin Hayes' return to Philly, to which I'm also curious to see how the crowd will react to him.
• Saturday, Mar. 30 vs. Chicago: Nearing the end of the season, the Blackhawks come to town with generational phenom Connor Bedard.
• Tuesday, Apr. 16 vs. Washington: The home and regular-season finale, and a point where Alex Ovechkin could seriously be closing in on Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.
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