Flyers get final look at 12th forward candidate in preseason finale

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The Flyers wrap up their six-game exhibition slate Friday night when they visit the Capitals.

Let's get into the essentials for the preseason finale.

  • When: 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Capital One Arena
  • Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
  • Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app

• The Flyers have 13 forwards right now.

Left winger Garrett Wilson, one of the final two forwards along with Jackson Cates, will play on the fourth line Friday night. Cates is not in the lineup. The 24-year-old Cates is a center who played four games for the Flyers last season. Wilson, a 30-year-old with 84 games of NHL experience, is on a professional tryout.

"He's more of a natural left winger and I saw Jackson last year on a couple of occasions; I haven't seen Wilson as much, so it's another opportunity for me, my staff and management to get a good read on him," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said in his pregame media availability with reporters at Capital One Arena. "But he has certainly played well so far."

The Flyers' 12th forward spot will come down to those two.

"Seven days here until we start, so there's obviously a couple of decisions that we have to make," Vigneault said. "Definitely both those guys are still in the mix."

Vigneault said he believes the Flyers will open the regular season with a 20-man roster because of their tight salary cap situation. The Flyers open the regular season with a four-game homestand, so it gives them flexibility for a potential call-up being down the road in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Excluding the Flyers' injured players, the club's roster is currently at 24. The Flyers must submit their final roster by Monday at 5 p.m. ET. Their regular-season opener is next Friday against the Canucks (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

More: No Frost, so what's next? Flyers being tested at premium position

• Martin Jones is in net for the Flyers.

Carter Hart was expected to play in the final exhibition game but he didn't practice Thursday because of a maintenance day, so the club held him out. The Flyers are not concerned about his status for the regular-season opener.

Through five exhibition periods this preseason, the 23-year-old stopped 41 of 43 shots.

Projected lineup

 

Forwards

Claude Giroux-Sean Couturier-Travis Konecny

Joel Farabee-Derick Brassard-Cam Atkinson

Oskar Lindblom-Scott Laughton-James van Riemsdyk

Garrett Wilson-Nate Thompson-Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defensemen

Ivan Provorov-Ryan Ellis

Travis Sanheim-Rasmus Ristolainen

Keith Yandle-Justin Braun

Goalies

Martin Jones

Felix Sandstrom

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