Things could get interesting a day before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers (27-27-8) host the Winnipeg Jets (42-16-4) at the Wells Fargo Center. The opening faceoff takes place at 7:00pm/ET.
The Jets are one of the potential landing places for Scott Laughton as the NHL Trade Deadline nears. Based on the rumors surrounding his name, first-round picks are in the air. Daniel Brière must decide if the offer is too good to refuse. However, Laughton could potentially remain with the Flyers.
If Laughton wants to remain in Philadelphia, will Brière honor that wish? The current deal expires next season, but the existing market could be the strongest. Laughton is a fan favorite, but the Flyers cannot let that sentiment cloud judgment.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Winnipeg (-142) is favored. Philadelphia must strip the Jets of extra possessions. Spending more time on the attack and playing with more discipline will keep the Flyers close. Both teams are relative on the penalty kill. To combat the best powerplay in the NHL, Sam Ersson must stand on his head while his teammates mitigate the number of penalties committed.
When: 3/6/2025; 7:00pm/ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia; Flyers Radio 24/7
Last Game PHI: 3/4/2025; 6-3 L; vs. Calgary Flames
Last Game WPG: 3/4/2025; 3-2 L; at New York Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
Ersson (18-10-4, 2.91GAA, 89%SV) will start after being pulled versus the Calgary Flames. Tortorella harped after the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Faceoff about finding out if Ersson can handle the starting workload of a goaltender in the NHL. Since the NHL 4 Nations Faceoff concluded, Ersson is 1-0-1 with an 83.3%SV and a 4.17GAA. It’ll be interesting to see his response versus the Jets, a team Ivan Fedotov secured a shootout win against on Saturday, 2-1.
“It’s a huge twenty games for that position because we’re still evaluating Sam [Ersson]. For him, it’s a huge twenty games. I’m going right back with him tonight because he deserves to go back in. From December, there was a stretch that he was really good. It’s there. I’m always confident that he’s going to answer. Tonight’s a big game for him because half of Pitt [the Pittsburgh Penguins] and just the start of the last game [vs. Calgary Flames] didn’t look like him at all. I’m anxious to see him play. It’s a pretty important game for him.” – John Tortorella; 3/6/2025
Rasmus Ristolainen (+5, 90BLK, 91HIT, 22TK:46GV; 48.9%FF) had a solid performance in the loss to the Flames. He put the puck on goal from the blue line and protected the puck well, forcing a takeaway. Lately, Ristolainen routinely peppers goaltenders with shots, as he did during the win in Winnipeg. He’ll turn up the intensity with the NHL Trade Deadline tomorrow. Similar to Laughton, Ristolainen is another name generating trade buzz.
Matvei Michkov (19G, 26A; 54.7%CF) didn’t retain scoring credit for a play versus Calgary. Sean Couturier took the credit, jamming the puck into the back of the net. Everyone believed Michkov scored his 20th of the season. Michkov has another crack at scoring 20 in his rookie season. He has nine points (3G, 6A) in his last five games but was held pointless against the Jets last weekend.
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#96 Andrei Kuzmenko – #21 Scott Laughton – #11 Travis Konecny
#74 Owen Tippett – #14 Sean Couturier – #39 Matvei Michkov
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #25 Ryan Poehling – #22 Jakob Pelletier
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#5 Egor Zamula – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#33 Sam Ersson
(#82 Ivan Fedotov)
Projected Lineup: Winnipeg Jets
#81 Kyle Connor – #55 Mark Scheifele – #13 Gabriel Vilardi
#27 Nikolaj Ehlers – #7 Vladislav Namestnikov – #91 Cole Perfetti
#62 Nino Niederreiter – #17 Adam Lowry – #22 Mason Appleton
#36 Morgan Barron – #19 David Gustafsson – #9 Alex Iafallo
#44 Josh Morrissey – #2 Dylan DeMelo
#54 Dylan Samberg – #4 Neal Pionk
#64 Logan Stanley – #6 Colin Miller
#1 Eric Comrie
(#37 Connor Hellebuyck)
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