Young defensemen Ronnie Attard and Egor Zamula are learning a lot from their seasoned partners

As the saying goes, the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity.

Saddle up because the biggest challenge of the season begins on Thursday night. The Flyers kick-start a murderers’ row of opponents with the first of two meetings in five days with the Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m., ESPN+, Hulu). But with it comes the opportunity for the Flyers to not only prove to the rest of the NHL that they are for real, but they also have a chance to solidify their spot in the playoffs.

“These are big games for the organization that hasn’t played these games at this stage in a season for a couple of years now,” associate coach Brad Shaw said. “So, you know, that’s a little bit of added pressure that comes with that, and I think it’s great. I think it’s awesome for all these young guys to go through this scenario.”

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Young players are littered throughout the Flyers’ lineup, but none more so than on defense, where every defensive pairing now features a youngster paired with a veteran. Gen Zers Ronnie Attard and Egor Zamula are now skating with two of the most grizzled guys in the game in Marc Staal and Erik Johnson, respectively.

Zamula and Johnson played together for the first time on Tuesday. Johnson, who turns 36 next week, was acquired before the trade deadline on March 8, but Zamula missed Saturday’s game because of illness. It may be one game, but the Russian blueliner noted the confidence someone who has played 972 games and won a Stanley Cup has given him through their chats on the bench.

“He told me on one play I can move the puck quicker. Second time, he told me a little bit better gap. Small details,” the 23-year-old Zamula said of the guy most call EJ. “I’m happy when he tells me that and I learn from that.”

Head coach John Tortorella, who will finish serving his two-game suspension on Thursday night, has long stressed the importance of players hearing things from teammates and not the coaches. Shaw, who runs the defense, thinks it also can be useful for the youngsters to pick the brains of their elders.

“I think it helps on the bench, especially between shifts,” Shaw said. “There’s usually a lot of communication — usually the older guy doing most of the talking, which is good. I think that allows them to ask questions and grow without having to hear from a coach all the time. The guys in the tracksuits, we can say it 100 times, and if your teammate says it once, it usually resonates a little bit more.”

Aside from pairing up the age-gap defensemen — and Shaw stressed he also sees the value in putting the veterans out there together as he did against San Jose late — he also likes having the left-handed shots in Staal and Zamula playing with righties in Attard and Johnson, respectively. And while he’s not a fan of a lefty-lefty pairing, he appreciates that Cam York and Travis Sanheim are “thriving on it.”

According to Natural Stat Trick, Zamula played 12 minutes, 52 seconds with Johnson, while Attard played 13:45 on Tuesday with Staal. When Attard and Staal were on the ice during five-on-five action, the Flyers had a Corsi For percentage of 56.25%. They were on the ice when Joel Farabee opened the scoring in the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Sharks.

“Nothing crazy, just here and there,” Attard said about the 37-year-old Staal providing some tidbits. “He’s super helpful. If he sees something that can help me out, he’s very vocal and communicates with me. He’s just an awesome guy.”

As for Attard, Shaw has liked the 24-year-old defenseman’s game since being called up. In three games, Attard’s plus-minus is even while he averages 17:33 of ice time.

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“He’s obviously a big guy that can move and a right-shot defenseman, so they’re a pretty coveted type of player,” Shaw said. “I think he’s a real, trying-to-please kind of guy. I think he could sort of be a little bit more comfortable in his own skin.

“I think when he’s positionally sound, and [has a] good stick, good body position, he gets to play offense. And when he gets a little ahead of himself, like most young guys, it tends to be not quite as effective. Mainly, we’ve talked about one or two real keys that I think will help him and haven’t really strayed from that. ... But, for the most part, he’s come in and played really well.”

Ryan Poehling was the only active player who did not participate in the morning skate but is expected to play. ... Sam Ersson will start against the Maple Leafs. ... Cam Atkinson and Nic Deslauriers stayed out well past the end of the morning skate, suggesting they will each be a healthy scratch again. ... The Flyers and Flyers Charities will host the 45th annual Flyers Charities Carnival from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.