After three days of rest, the Philadelphia Flyers (15-8-3) continue their six-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche (20-2-6). The puck is scheduled to drop at 1:00pm/ET.
There’s no way around it, today will be the Flyers’ toughest matchup of the season. This matinee in South Philadelphia will feature the Avalanche, the top team in the NHL. They have just 2 losses in regulation out of 28 games played this season. However, it’s not like there is a zero percent chance they can win. The New York Islanders handed the Avalanche their second regulation loss on Thursday. That is the same team that the Flyers are 2-0-0 against this season.
Additionally, the Avalanche will have tired legs heading into Philadelphia. On Saturday, they needed extra time to defeat the Rangers in overtime. The Flyers have also earned some well-deserved buzz around the team as of late. Philadelphia currently sits in the 2nd Wild Card spot in the East and are the 12th ranked team in the league. This will be an excellent measuring stick of how far away the Flyers truly are from contention.
Cam York (Potentially) Out of Today’s Game
On Wednesday night, Cam York was pulled in the second period and did not return for the third period against the Sabres. He was later ruled out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Now, this game becomes even more of a challenge for the Flyers. York has had an excellent season, accumulating 12 points (1g, 11a) in 23 games played. This would be a 42-point pace for the Flyers’ top defenseman, which would shatter his career-high 30 points (10g, 20a) from his 2023-24 campaign season. Part of the production has been unlocking his ‘QB’ abilities at the point on the powerplay. For a player who has averaged over 23:31 minutes of TOI, players will need to step up if he is ruled out for today’s game.
“It’s still a day-to-day thing. Slight option, we’ll talk to him in the morning. He’s a mobile guy, he plays all parts of the game. You know, special teams, and he’s with Sandy [Sanheim]. They usually check the other line. So yeah, it’s going to be a big loss if he doesn’t play but you know, you guys heard it before from everybody, next man up. That’s why we play this game. ” – Rick Tocchet; 12/6/2025
Can the “Next Man Up” Mentality Continue?
The Flyers now find themselves with two major holes in their lineup. It was announced on Tuesday that Tyson Foerster will miss 2-3 months with an upper-body injury. On Wednesday night, it was York, who has been since labeled day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Foerster was their leading goal scorer, and York was on the 1st pair with Travis Sanheim. These are major blows to a team that is not stacked the way the Avalanche or other contenders are.
However, it may not be all doom and gloom. The Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Wednesday. This proved, albeit, against a lowly Sabres team, that they can rise to the occasion in the wake of injuries in the top of the line up. The Flyers scored five goals on Wednesday by five different players. Can they do that against the #1 ranked team in the league? Who knows, but they at least proved that they could do it, even against a lesser team. Keep your eyes on Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, and Nikita Gebenkin, who all collected a point or points in Wednesday night’s victory. The team will need them to continue to step up their game.
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena; Philadelphia, PA
When: 12/7/2025; 1:00pm/ET
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Last Game PHI: 12/3/2025; 5-2 W; vs Buffalo Sabres
Last Game COL: 12/6/2025; 3-2 W (OT); at New York Rangers
Philadelphia Injury Report:
- Rasmus Ristolainen (triceps)
- Tyson Foerster (upper-body)
- Cam York (upper-body)
Avalanche Injury Report:
- Scott Wedgewood (back)
- Gavin Brindley (lower body)
- Logan O’Connor (hip surgery)
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are 2-1-0 in their last three games. In those games, they have averaged 3.66 goals for, and 3.33 goals against. In those games, the powerplay did well, going 3/15 (20%). Their 5-1 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins tanked their penalty kill numbers after going just 1/4 on the penalty kill. In this set of three games, they are 7/12 (58.33%). After giving up the first penalty kill on Wednesday, they went on to go 5 for 6 on the penalty. Hopefully, this was a sign that they may have been able to reset and resume their domination.
On defense, Nick Seeler appeared to be the “next man up” candidate. In their last practice, Seeler was skating with Sanheim. Emil Andrae and Drysdale continued to stick together. On the third pair, Egor Zamula and Noah Juulsen were paired up in practice as well. The Flyers called up AHL rookie defenseman Ty Murchison, so there is technically a chance he could get into today’s game. This was likely for precautionary reasons, though.
As of 10:15 AM (EST), there has been no confirmation in goal yet. With that being said, many presume it will be Dan Vladař‘s net today. However, it would not be a total surprise if Samuel Ersson returns to net for the second game in a row. Ersson stopped 27 of 29 shots in that Sabres game, and finished with a .931 SV% and a +0.89 GSAx per Natural Stat Trick. This was easily his best game of the season. He looked poised, tracking and anticipating shots well. He made several key saves in this game to support the Flyers lead and kept the Sabres from getting close when they made their push.
Team Stats
To little surprise, the Avalanche will possess the advantage by most statistics and metrics. On offense, that theme mostly remains true. The Avs rank 1st in goals for (4.00) compared to the Flyers, who rank 23rd (2.85). Shockingly, the Flyers power play has been more effective this season. They rank 17th (18.7%), whereas Colorado ranks 26th (15.3%).
On defense, the Avalanche remain superior. They allow just 2.18 goals against, which is good for 1st in the NHL. The Flyers, while not bad in this area, are ranked 10th, allowing 2.85 goals against per game. The Avs also edge out the Flyers on the penalty kill. They rank 2nd in the NHL (86.7%), and the Flyers rank 9th (82.1%).
Philadelphia Flyers Projected Lines:
#46 Trevor Zegras – #22 Christian Dvorak – #11 Travis Konecny
#39 Matvei Michkov – #14 Sean Couturier – #74 Owen Tippett
#29 Nikita Grebenkin – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #18 Rodrigo Ābols – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#24 Nick Seeler – #6 Travis Sanheim
#36 Emil Andrae – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#5 Egor Zamula – #47 Noah Juulsen
#80 Dan Vladař
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Colorado Avalanche Projected Lines:
#62 Artturi Lehkonen – #29 Nathan MacKinnon – #88 Martin Nečas
#13 Valeri Nichushkin – #11 Brock Nelson – #92 Gabriel Landeskog
#17 Parker Kelly – #18 Jack Drury – #95 Victor Olofsson
#20 Ross Colton – #93 Zakhar Bardakov – #94 Joel Kiviranta
#7 Devon Toews – #8 Cale Makar
#42 Josh Manson – #84 Brent Burns
#49 Samuel Girard – #70 Sam Malinski
#50 Trent Miner
(#39 Mackenzie Blackwood)
