The Philadelphia Flyers (24-18-9) hit the road to kick off their eighth back-to-back outing of the season. Awaiting the Orange and Black at Nationwide Arena are the Columbus Blue Jackets (24-20-7) with the opening puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Getting out of the City of Brotherly Love once again might be what’s best for the Flyers. Philadelphia found success during their previous three-game road trip to collect five of a possible six points against playoff contenders in Vegas, Utah, and Colorado. The Flyers’ offense came through by scoring 13 goals over that stretch, including a season-high seven tallies in the matchup with the Avalanche.
Then the Flyers returned home Monday night and got shut out for the second time all year to Ilya Sorokin and the Islanders. Philadelphia gave up a shorthanded bid, went 0-for-3 on the man advantage, and played with little aggression. The 4-0 deficit to New York added on to what is now Philadelphia’s fifth straight loss in front of their home crowd.
“We kept on putting the pucks in the middle of the ice, turning the pucks over, loose puck battles. Our will wasn’t there. I don’t think that can happen in a division game. I get it, it’s been a tough schedule, we’ve been traveling, I get it, but we really had two days off and you should have better energy. We need some guys to dig in and stack some consistent games together,” Rick Tocchet said.
The Flyers’ first attempt to get back in the win column starts by knocking off a divisional threat and a Columbus squad that’s heating up lately. The Blue Jackets have climbed their way back into the playoff mix and sit just six points out of the third Metropolitan spot.
Columbus fired their head coach Dean Evason on Jan 12 and replaced him with Rick Bowness. The change paid off thus far as the Blue Jackets reigned victorious in six of their last seven performances and averaged 3.6 goals per game with their power play converting at 40% across that span. Columbus’ recent acquisition in Mason Marchment is contributing to record 11 points in nine games for his new team. The Blue Jackets’ penalty killers prevented goals on eight of their previous 10 attempts too despite ranking 28th in the league.
Dan Vladař is back to tend the crease. It’s Vladař’s first start in six contests after exiting in the first period with an undisclosed injury on January 14 in Buffalo. He has a 2.46 GAA and .905 SV% on the season. Between Sam Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov, they allowed 4.2 goals per game across Vladař’s absence. It’s nice the Flyers have their top netminder tonight.
“He’s been very consistent for us, a really competitive guy, and he adds a lot to our locker room,” Tocchet said. “With Vladdy there’s been times where he’s been on a roll. It’s hard not to play your No. 1 goalie.”
It’s the inaugural meeting between the two clubs this year. Based off the history of late, the contest is up for grabs as both teams are seemingly equal considering Philadelphia is 7-5-3 and Columbus displays an 8-6-1 record over the last 15 battles with each other.
Philadelphia’s Injury Report:
- Tyson Foerster (arm)
- Rodrigo Abols (lower-body)
Columbus’ Injury Report:
- Brendan Smith (knee)
- Dante Fabbro (lower-body)
Philadelphia’s Player to Watch: Trevor Zegras
Tocchet called Zegras out after the loss to the Islanders stating his game has been “slipping.” Zegras has five points over his previous 10 games but is a -5. His goal scoring pace has slowed down with him stuck at 19 goals on the season, one shy of becoming the first Flyer to hit the 20-goal plateau this year. If the Flyers are going to erase a 2-6-2 skid, Zegras is going to have to be one of the players Tocchet referenced to step up.
Columbus’ Player to Watch: Zach Werenski
Werenski is solidifying himself in the mix for the Norris Trophy this year. He leads the Blue Jackets in every offensive category with 19 goals and 55 points. Werenski enters netting five goals and eight points in his last five showings against the Flyers. The 28-year-old racked up 25 points during his previous 17 games too.
Philadelphia’s Projected Lines:
#46 Trevor Zegras – #22 Christian Dvorak – #11 Travis Konecny
#52 Denver Barkey – #14 Sean Couturier – #74 Owen Tippett
#39 Matvei Michkov – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#29 Nikita Grebenkin – #25 Lane Pederson – #91 Carl Grundström
#6 Travis Sanheim – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#8 Cam York – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#24 Nick Seeler – #47 Noah Juulsen
#80 Dan Vladař
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Columbus’ Projected Lines:
#17 Mason Marchment – #19 Adam Fantilli – #86 Kirill Marchenko
#38 Boone Jenner – #23 Sean Monahan – #91 Kent Johnson
#4 Cole Sillinger – #3 Charlie Coyle – #24 Mathieu Olivier
#10 Dmitry Voronkov – #21 Isac Lundeström – #11 Miles Wood
#8 Zach Werenski – #78 Damon Severson
#9 Ivan Provorov – #5 Denton Mateychuk
#6 Egor Zamula – #44 Erik Gudbranson
#90 Elvis Merzļikins
(#73 Jet Greaves)
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