
Earning zero points in a back-to-back against the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders was the worst-case scenario. The Philadelphia Flyers (22-22-6) slipped on a banana peel in each game.
“[The] past couple of games, I just don’t think we’ve developed, although [the] Ranger game we have twenty-plus chances. The Islander game, I thought both teams sucked, quite honestly. It was just [an] awful game. We didn’t develop much. They didn’t, but they scored on theirs. We didn’t.” – John Tortorella; 1/27/2025
After taking a 1-0 lead in both games, the Flyers were outscored in New York, 9-2.
Tonight, the New Jersey Devils (28-17-6) visit the Wells Fargo Center. Scott Laughton likely returns to the lineup. Egor Zamula (upper body) will be a game-time decision and Ryan Poehling (upper body) will remain out. Anthony Richard would come out of the lineup for Laughton. Erik Johnson dressed in place of Zamula against the Islanders.
The Devils (-148) are favorites, via DraftKings Sportsbook, to begin the home-and-home series. New Jersey is superior to Philadelphia almost across the board. The Flyers have an uphill battle on special teams and even-strength scoring offense and defense. However, each team is 50.6% from the faceoff dot this season.
“It’s weird. We’re going to go back-to-back with Jersey, then we go back to the Island. It’s a weird part of the schedule, but it’s not extra pressure. We got to take each and every game; try to stay in it.” – John Tortorella; 1/27/2025
Philadelphia defeated the Devils, 3-1, earlier this month. In that victory, Sam Ersson saved 12/13 shots on goal. It’ll take a stubborn defensive performance to mitigate the damage from New Jersey. Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen must become the shield between the puck and the goaltender. However, the Flyers cannot be hemmed in the defensive zone because shooters will take their chances with heavy traffic in shooting lanes.
When: 1/27/25; 7:00pm/ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia; Flyers Radio 24/7
Last Game PHI: 1/24/25; 3-1 L; at New York Islanders
Last Game NJD: 1/25/25; 4-3 OTW; at Montréal Canadiens
Philadelphia Flyers
Ersson (14-8-2, 89.1%SV, 2.8GAA) will start. Ivan Fedotov will be the backup goaltender.
When these teams clashed last time, it was the most impressive Ersson looked between the pipes. In his previous five starts, Ersson is 4-1-0 with an 89.9%SV and a 2.6GAA. He was clutch against the Devils because he saved 92.3% of shots in a low-volume shooting affair. Usually, those games are more difficult for goaltenders to remain engaged. Ersson remained dialed in.
Cam York (67BLK, 24HIT, 16TK:44GV, 49%FF) is persistent in the offensive zone. He ate a hit from Alexander Romanov but kept pushing with the high-danger scoring chances. Lately, York is under the hash marks and into the slot on the attack. He blocked a pair of shots in New Jersey during the victory.
Laughton (9G, 14A, 41.4%CF) is a good play. Tortorella is uncertain of the final lineup, but Laughton helped Philadelphia win a couple of possessions against the Devils. When a quality opponent comes to town, you begin to count which forwards will drive into the battle, checking away. Tonight is as good of a time as ever for Laughton to make his return.
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #11 Travis Konecny
#86 Joel Farabee – #14 Sean Couturier – #39 Matvei Michkov
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#21 Scott Laughton – #18 Rodrigo Ābols – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#6 Travis Sanheim – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#8 Cam York – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#24 Nick Seeler – #77 Erik Johnson
#33 Sam Ersson
(#82 Ivan Fedotov)
Projected Lineup: New Jersey Devils
#18 Ondřej Palát – #86 Jack Hughes – #63 Jesper Bratt
#28 Timo Meier – #91 Dawson Mercer – #11 Stefan Noesen
#47 Paul Cotter – #37 Justin Dowling – #48 Brian Halonen
#90 Tomáš Tatar – #42 Curtis Lazar – #14 Nathan Bastian
#5 Brendan Dillon – #7 Dougie Hamilton
#71 Jonas Siegenthaler – #8 Johnathan Kovacevic
#43 Luke Hughes – #22 Brett Pesce
#34 Jake Allen
(#65 Isaac Poulter)


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