The Philadelphia Flyers (22-12-7) continue their homestand to host the Toronto Maple Leafs (20-15-7) at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm/ET.
Tonight will be game two of their four game homestand. On Tuesday night, they kicked off their homestand with one of the most exciting victories of the season. The Xfinity Mobile Arena was rocking as the Flyers defeated the Ducks, 5-2. Trevor Zegras led the way with two goals while all of Cam York, Travis Sanheim, and Nikita Grebenkin potted a goal as well. Cutter Gauthier finally got his goal in Philadelphia, but not without a lot of boos hailing down on him every time he touched the ice. Big goals, big hits, and a lot of drama. It was a fun one in South Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Now, the Flyers need to quickly turn the page to be ready for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are 2-0-1 in their last three games, defeating the Florida Panthers, 4-1, on Tuesday night. They’ve score a lot in this span, averaging 4.44 goals per game while allowing 3.00 goals against through three games. The Flyers are 2-1-0 in their last three games, scoring 3.66 goals per game and allowing 3.00 goals against per game in that span.
Injury Bug
Tuesday night, Bobby Brink and Jamie Drysdale left the game due to upper-body injuries. In the first period, Brink was on the wrong end of a blindside hit. He would leave the game just minutes into the first period and not return. Later in the second period, Drysdale would leave the period early after a collision between him and Ross Johnston. Brink, who is on pace for 20 goals this year, is an important player on this team. However, if we are talking about what hurts this team most, it’s Drysdale’s absence. Drysdale has been one of the Flyers’ top-four defenseman this season, averaging 21:12 TOI.
“I talked to them a little, still getting evaluated it. I really don’t know. I talked to them today and they’re in a half-decent mood. But you know, still being evaluated over those hits” – Rick Tocchet; 1/7/2026
Injury Report: Philadelphia Flyers
- Tyson Foerster (arm)
- Bobby Brink (upper-body)
- Jamie Drysdale (upper-body)
Injury Report: Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jake McCabe (lower-body)
- William Nylander (lower-body)
- Anthony Stolarz (upper-body)
- Chris Tanev (groin)
- Dakota Joshua (upper-body)
- Dakota Mermis (lower-body)
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena; Philadelphia, PA
When: 1/8/2026; 7:00pm/ET
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Last Game PHI: 1/6/2026; 5-2 W; vs. Anaheim Ducks
Last Game TOR: 1/6/2026; 4-1 W; vs. Florida Panthers
Philadelphia Flyers
After sitting out of Tuesday’s contest due to a minor foot injury, Matvei Michkov will draw back into the lineup.
“Yeah, he’s skating today. I’m pretty sure he will be back in tomorrow unless he says something after practice.” – Rick Tocchet; 1/7/2026
It has been a tough year for Michkov, who has just 1 goal in his last 16 games, which was an empty-net goal. On the brighter side, it looks like he may be developing some chemistry with Noah Cates. There will clips of Michkov and Brink on the bench giggling, but what has not been captured is Cates’ leadership style that has had a positive influence on the sophomore. Per Siobhan Nolan of The Hockey News, Tocchet shared that Michkov has been “talking more than ever” on the bench. He credited this to Cates’ communication skills with his teammates. Perhaps there will be more to come from this duo.
Dan Vladař will start for tonight’s showdown. On Tuesday night, Vladař stopped 16 of 18 shots, good for a .889 SV%. While the numbers don’t show it, he made several key saves in the Ducks game. The Flyers are going to need his best against the likes of Auston Matthews and company heading into tonight’s game.
Team Stats
On offense, the Leafs rank 5th in goals for (3.36) compared to the Flyers, who rank 19th (3.02). On the powerplay, Toronto slightly edges out, ranking 25th (16.3%). Philadelphia ranks 30th (15.4%).
On defense, the Flyers allow just 2.80 goals against, which is good for 8th in the NHL. The Leafs rank 24th with 3.29 goals against per game. The Leafs do have the edge on the penalty kill, ranking 4th (84.1%), compared to the Flyers’ 16th-ranked penalty kill (80.2%).
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#46 Trevor Zegras – #22 Christian Dvorak – #11 Travis Konecny
#52 Denver Barkey – #14 Sean Couturier – #74 Owen Tippett
#39 Matvei Michkov – #27 Noah Cates – #91 Carl Grundström
#29 Nikita Grebenkin – #18 Rodrigo Ābols – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#36 Emil Andrae – #47 Noah Juulsen
#80 Dan Vladař
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Projected Lineup: Toronto Maple Leafs
#74 Bobby McMann – #34 Auston Matthews – #11 Max Domi
#63 Matias Maccelli – #91 John Tavares – #23 Matthew Knies
#53 Easton Cowan – #55 Nicolas Roy – #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz – #24 Scott Laughton – #19 Calle Järnkrok
#44 Morgan Rielly – #25 Brandon Carlo
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson – #28 Troy Stecher
#2 Simon Benoit – #51 Phil Myers
#60 Joseph Woll
(#35 Dennis Hildeby)
