Rasmus Ristolainen will make his Flyers debut against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN1, NHL LIVE) after the defenseman missed the first two games of the season because of an upper-body injury.
Ristolainen was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on July 23 for defenseman Robert Hagg, the No. 14 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft (Isak Rosen) and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
He will play on the second defense pair with Travis Sanheim.
"I want him to do what he did during training camp with us," coach Alain Vigneault said. "Him and Travis, they were a very consistent pair, high percentage with and without the puck, physical when he had the opportunity. That's what I want to see from him tonight."
Ristolainen said Tuesday he enjoyed playing with Sanheim during the preseason and hoped to build on that chemistry Wednesday.
"We've been playing well together," he said. "We played four preseason games and I think every game we got better and better."
Forward Zack MacEwen also will make his Flyers debut Wednesday. He had been claimed on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 13, but because of immigration issues didn't arrive in Philadelphia until midnight on Tuesday and practiced for the first time later that morning. -- Adam Kimelman
