Before the Philadelphia Flyers (19-13-5) return to the Wells Fargo Center for the first time in 2024, they have a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. They're fiercely battling the New Jersey Devils, the Washington Capitals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Back from a five-game road trip, the Flyers present a 1-2-2 record.
Philadelphia earned points in three games. A win versus the Vancouver Canucks, a shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings, and an overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken contributed toward the NHL standings, but it's time to get back into the win column. John Tortorella is focusing his lineup on the task at hand tonight, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets (12-19-8).
Columbus Blue Jackets
Over the last five games, the Blue Jackets have replicated the Flyers 1-2-2 record. Pascal Vincent, after a loss to the Boston Bruins, spoke about how that team wears down opponents, and that's the way Vincent aspires his lineup to play:
"They don't force things with the puck. [It's] a real good teaching game for us on how to play where we want to be."
Pascal Vincent; 1/2/2024
Jack Roslovic is on a cold streak, pointless in his last five games. He missed a significant part of the season with a fractured ankle. Roslovic didn't make a big impression in his 2023-2024 debut versus Philadelphia, blocking a shot, forcing a takeaway, and missing high on a backhanded chance.
Here's the projected lineup for the Columbus Blue Jackets, per Emily Sculli:
Gaudreau-Fantilli-Roslovic Chinakhov-Voronkov-Marchenko Johnson-Sillinger-Bemstrom Texier-Danforth-Olivier Severson-Provorov Bean-Jiricek Christiansen-Gudbranson Tarasov (Martin)
Philadelphia Flyers
Rhett Gardner and Nicolas Deslauriers are in the lineup. Tortorella decided to carry seven defensemen, making Morgan Frost a healthy scratch alongside Cam Atkinson.
Yegor Zamula made an impression on the road trip in a limited role on the powerplay, walking the blue line and quarterbacking shooting scenarios. He'll join the second powerplay unit after sinking two pucks from downtown in the last five games. In two earlier contests versus Columbus, Zamula notched an assist, which was the first recorded goal of the Flyers' season courtesy of Joel Farabee.
Here's the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers:
Farabee-Couturier-Konecny Tippett-Laughton-Brink Foerster-Poehling-Gardner Deslauriers-Hathaway York-Sanheim Seeler-Walker Zamula-Ristolainen Staal Ersson (Hart)
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Philadelphia Flyers (-205) Columbus Blue Jackets (+170) Jack Roslovic under .5pt (-166) Yegor Zamula goalscorer (+1100)
Game Information
Tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7pm. The telecast is available on NBC Sports Philadelphia, and the radio broadcast can be heard on 97.5 the Fanatic.
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
