The Flyers get an early start Saturday with a matinee against a Ducks team that brings plenty of extra juice with it. Philadelphia arrives on a somewhat surprising three-game winning streak, and that run has changed the mood around the team in a hurry. Now comes a chance to keep building against a new-rival opponent that has become one of the more watchable matchups on the schedule.
One of the biggest reasons to tune in is rookie Cole Knuble. His showing Wednesday in Buffalo stood out even in a good team win, because he didn’t just chip in - he drove play with pace and purpose.
Knuble has been making the most of limited usage, skating hard, hounding pucks, winning first touches, and getting himself into dangerous areas around the net. That work paid off with two goals in Buffalo, and his overall impact has been significant enough to make him one of the more intriguing players to track as he pushes for a longer stay with the big club.
There’s also some potential lineup movement on the Philadelphia side. Rasmus Ristolainen is a possibility for Saturday, according to Rick Tocchet, while Cam York remains uncertain.
If Ristolainen does return, it would give the Flyers a welcome boost and bring a little more structure to the back end after his absence since the second game of the season on October 3. It would also likely mean Simon Benoit comes out of the lineup after struggling in an every-night role to start the year, while Oliver Bonk could slide into a different kind of workload after handling top minutes well.
The projected Flyers lineup has Trevor Zegras centering Christian Dvorak and Noel Acciari on the top line, followed by Porter Martone, Noah Cates, and Matvei Michkov; Alex Bump, Denver Barkey, and Cole Knuble; and Jacob Gaucher, Sean Couturier, and Michael Bunting. On defense, the pairs are Travis Sanheim with Oliver Bonk, Nick Seeler with Jamie Drysdale, and Hunter McDonald with Simon Benoit, with Joseph Woll listed in goal and Dan Vladar in parentheses.
Anaheim’s projected group features Alex Killorn, Leo Carlsson, and Beckett Sennecke up front, with Nikita Nesterenko, Mikael Granlund, and Cutter Gauthier behind them. The Ducks also list Nikita Klepkov, Roger McQueen, and Frank Vatrano; A.J.
Greer, Tim Washe, and Sam Colangelo; then Jackson LaCombe with Tristan Luneau, Tyson Hinds with Noah Warren, and Pavel Mintyukov with Drew Helleson on defense. Lukas Dostal is projected in net, with Ville Husso in parentheses.
Beyond the lineups, the matchup carries a little extra edge. The first couple of games in Philadelphia between these teams were fiery, and while the sharpest drama from a couple of years ago has cooled off, the Carlsson offer sheet over the summer clearly stirred things up again.
That makes this one worth watching not just for the points or the winning streak, but for the temperature. The Flyers need to keep that edge under control, though.
They can play with some bite, but they also have to stay smart, because the climb out of their early-season hole is still underway.
In Other News...
Michkov Is Giving The Flyers Something They Have Been Missing
Matvei Michkov keeps giving the Flyers the kind of finishing touch they have long been searching for. In a recent game, the young winger added another burst of offense for Philadelphia and continued a fast start to the 2026-27 season, building on the promise he flashed as a rookie and showing a scoring pace that has put him near the top of the NHL early on.
The encouraging part for the Flyers is not just the production, but the way it has fit into the lineup with Noah Cates beside him. Michkov, Cates and goalie Joseph Woll all offered their thoughts after the game, underscoring how much attention this stretch of play is drawing as Philadelphia looks for more consistent offense from its best young creator. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Waste Another Michkov Night In Frustrating Rivalry Loss
Matvei Michkov gave the Flyers another night they should have been able to build on, scoring twice in a game that also featured Rasmus Ristolainen back in the lineup after missing nine games with an injury. Instead, Philadelphia let two leads slip away in a 5-4 loss to Anaheim, a result that snapped a three-game winning streak and left the building with the familiar feeling of a missed opportunity in a rivalry game.
For a team trying to stack positive results, the frustration was in how quickly control faded after the Flyers had taken command. The scoring touch was there, and Michkov again looked like a player capable of swinging the night, but Philadelphia could not protect its advantages long enough to turn his performance into two points. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Loss Brought Back The Leo Carlsson Sting
Leo Carlsson was a central figure again on a night when the Flyers seemed to have control, then watched it slip away. Anaheim erased a two-goal deficit to beat Philadelphia 5-4, with Carlsson scoring once and helping drive the Ducks comeback. He now leads Anaheim in scoring with 13 points this season, a reminder of the talent the Flyers have seen from afar while trying to build their own forward momentum.
Philadelphias three-game winning streak ended despite goals from Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and others, and the loss carried an extra edge because Carlsson remained right in the middle of the action when the game turned. The Flyers have had to live with the sting of watching a young center grow into a featured piece for Anaheim, and this was another night when he looked every bit like the sort of player a team can build around. [Read more 🡒]