5 THINGS: Flyers at Blackhawks

Playing their final game of the 2022-23 season, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (27-38-13) are in the Windy City on Thursday to take on Luke Richardson's Chicago Blackhawks (26-49-6). Game time at the United Center is 8:30 p.m. EDT.

The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio feed will be on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the teams this season, and the lone game in Philadelphia. The Flyers are 0-1-0 against Chicago this season. The Blackhawks prevailed, 4-1, at the Wells Fargo Center on January 19. It was Chicago's first regular season win in Philadelphia (0-16-1) since November 9, 1996.
On Tuesday, the Flyers snapped a seven-game winless streak (0-6-1) with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the final home game of the 2022-23 season.
The Flyers finished at "hockey .500" on home ice this season, at 18-18-5. Entering the season finale in Chicago, the Flyers are just 12-20-8 on the road this season.
Here are five things to watch in tonight's game.
1. A Farewell to Brauner
With the exception of a brief stint with the New York Rangers in 2021-22 as a rental player at the trade deadline, veteran defenseman Justin Braun has spent the last four seasons with the Flyers. Along the way, he has been a steady presence on the ice and a true professional off the ice as well as on.
Braun, who spent most of his career as a mainstay with the San Jose Sharks, will have family and friends in the stands tonight in Chicago. It will be the 842nd regular season game (he also has 119 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs to his credit) of his career.
Braun, the winner of the 2022-23 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, will be missed in Philadelphia for his day-in and day-out reliability, his dry sense of humor, his generally easy-going off-ice demeanor and his insight into the hockey team.
Braun, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Feb. 10, signed a one-year contract last off-season to return to the Flyers. He previously spent the 2019-20, 2020-21 and most of the 2021-22 season with the Flyers before being traded to the Rangers at the deadline for a 2023 third-round Draft pick.
2. Milestone watch: Konecny and Frost
In Tuesday's game against Columbus, James van Riemsdyk scored the 300th goal of his NHL career. Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy winner Owen Tippett's two goals in the game (his 25th and 26th) of the 2022-23 season extended his single-season career-high for goals in his still-young NHL career. Joel Farabee, who also scored in Tuesday's game, set a new single-season career high in points with 39 (15g, career-high 24a).
Tonight, Farabee will accomplish the feat of having dressed in all 82 games; a significant achievement after having undergone neck surgery last offseason and being originally predicted to miss the first month of the 2022-23 season. There are also two other individual milestones on the line in this game.
Travis Konency needs a goal in this game to achieve 30 for the first time in his NHL career (despite missing 22 games due to injury). Morgan Frost needs a goal for a 20-goal season in his first full campaign spent in the NHL.
3. Behind the Bench: Darryl Williams
In recent weeks, Tortorella has frequently turned behind-the-bench coaching duties during games over to a member of his coaching staff. Rocky Thompson was acting coach for a road game in St. Louis and Tuesday's home game against Columbus. Previously, Brad Shaw ran two games behind the Flyers' bench.
Tonight, Tortorella will have assistant coach Darryl Williams serve as the Flyers' acting head coach. "Willie" has been an assistant coach and video coach (including for Tortorella and, previously, under former Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault in Vancouver) at the NHL level. He also briefly played in the NHL with the LA Kings.
Tonight's game will be the first in which the 55-year-old Williams has served as a head coach since he was behind the bench for the now-defunct Kansas City Outlaws of the United Hockey League (UHL) in 2004-05.
4. Flyers Line Play
Nick Seeler has missed the last two games due to illness. He should be ready to return to the lineup for the season finale. With Braun a lock to be in the lineup for the game, the only question is whether the Flyers dress six or seven defensemen. Tony DeAngelo has been a healthy scratch in each of the last four games.
The Flyers will not have a morning skate before today's game. If DeAngelo is scratched for the finale and a 12th forward is dressed, the decision will come down to center/winger Tanner Laczynski or winger Kieffer Bellows.
Projected lineup (based on Tuesday's game)
13 Kevin Hayes - 49 Noah Cates - 74 Owen Tippett
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk - 21 Scott Laughton - 57 Wade Allison
22 Brendan Lemieux - 58 Tanner Laczynski - 44 Nicolas Deslauriers
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 61 Justin Braun
32 Felix Sandström
79 Carter Hart
Available: 20 Kieffer Bellows, 77 Tony DeAngelo.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Chicago Blackhawks
On Tuesday, the Blackhawks pulled off a 5-2 road upset of a Pittsburgh Penguins team that was in a must-win situation to keep more than a glimmer of hope alive to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. The Penguins, subsequently, were eliminated.
The Blackhawks, who are 14-23-3 at home this season, have 58 points this season. So do the Anaheim Ducks, but the Blackhawks are in 30th place due to owning five more wins in regulation (18 vs. 13) than the Ducks. Both teams have one game remaining to play. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets (57 points, 15 regulation wins) have two games left to play. The team that finishes last (32nd) in the final leaguewide regular season standings will enter the NHL Draft lottery with the highest odds of landing the first overall pick in the 2023 Entry Draft.