The Flyers get back to work Tuesday night with a home date against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET.
Philadelphia comes in at 3-7-3 and is trying to steady itself after a rough loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. The Flyers had started fast and looked in control, but they let the game slip and allowed Anaheim to mount the comeback. It was a frustrating finish after what had been a strong opening stretch.
Columbus arrives off a 2-1 overtime win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Jackets have gone 2-3-0 over their last five and, despite the win, have only one regulation victory this season - their opener.
Here’s the projected look for Tuesday’s game.
On defense, the pairings listed are Travis Sanheim with Oliver Bonk, Cam York with Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler with Hunter McDonald.
Dan Vladar is listed in net for the Flyers, while Joseph Woll is the projected goalie for Columbus.
The special teams groups are also set out this way: PP1 features Drysdale, Zegras, Martone, Michkov, and Barkey, while PP2 includes Sanheim, Bonk, Dvorak, Bump, and Foerster. On the penalty kill, PK1 is Couturier, Foerster, York, and Sanheim, with PK2 made up of Cates, Dvorak, Seeler, and McDonald.
There’s a case to be made for Philadelphia in this one. The Flyers have dropped to 3-7-3, but that latest loss snapped a three-game winning streak, and over the last four games they’ve played some of their best hockey of the season. Columbus, meanwhile, has four wins but only one of them came in regulation, so the matchup sets up as one the Flyers should feel good about.
The lineup picture on defense still has a wrinkle. York’s role for Tuesday isn’t fully settled yet, though he did skate with David Jiricek at Monday’s practice. The expectation is that York returns to his usual 2LD spot and handles his normal penalty-killing load, which would push Nick Seeler down to the third pair.
That decision could affect Hunter McDonald, who has done enough to stay in the lineup. One view here is that McDonald belongs on the third pair ahead of Jiricek or Simon Benoit right now. Whether McDonald stays on his off side, or York or Seeler shifts to the right, should be clear by warmups.
Tuesday also marks Emil Andrae’s first trip back to Philadelphia since his summer trade to the Maple Leafs. He never played for Toronto before being dealt to the Blue Jackets for Kirill Marchenko.
Andrae has bounced in and out of the Columbus lineup this season and has appeared in only five games. It remains unclear whether he’ll be in against his former team.
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One name now in the mix is Ivan Miroshnichenko, the 2022 first-round pick in Washington. He brings a physical edge along with some offensive upside, and that combination could appeal to a Flyers roster that still could use more speed and bite on the wing. He is also the kind of player who could be available at a price Philadelphia can at least consider, which makes him a worthwhile fit to watch as the market develops. [Read more 🡒]
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The wrinkle, of course, is on defense, where Rasmus Ristolainens absence forces another adjustment and opens the door for more changes behind York. Gaucher figures to provide depth as an extra forward, but the bigger question is how the Flyers sort out their pairings once York is slotted back into the mix and the rest of the back end settles around him. [Read more 🡒]