Game 38 Preview: Flyers vs. Blue Jackets
The Philadelphia Flyers (19-13-5) return home on Thursday to begin a four-game homestand with a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (12-19-8). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Flyers are coming off a four-game, six-night western road trip that started promisingly with a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks but then went downhill with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames and a 5-2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers in which superstar Oilers center Connor McDavid figured in all five Oilers goals (one goal, four primary assists).
The Blue Jackets enter this game coming off a 4-1 home loss on Tuesday at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Longtime Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk led the way for the Bruins with three points (1g, 2a). Kent Johnson tallied the lone goal for Columbus, briefly tying the score at 2-2 in the second period. Spencer Martin absorbed the loss in goal, stopping 23 of 27 shots.
The Flyers, after a run of posting at least one point in 11 of 12 games (8-1-3) are now winless in their last three games (1-2-2). The Blue Jackets have won only one of their last six games.
With the Flyers playing their fifth game in eight nights -- across three time zones -- they will not hold a morning skate on Thursday. Flyers head coach John Tortorella will announce his starting goaltender around 5 p.m. ET. On Tuesday, the Flyers scratched veteran rugged winger Nicolas Deslauriers and opted to dress seven defensemen. That may or may not carry over into Tuesday's game, along with some in-game power play personnel tweaks.
On the Flyers' injury front, Noah Cates (foot fracture) traveled with the team on the western road trip. He's resumed skating on his own. Next step will be to join in practices when the Flyers actually have opportunity to practice again as a team. Rhett Gardner was a healthy scratch throughout the road trip.
The Blue Jackets are currently riddled with key injuries. The likes of Zach Werenski (ankle), Patrik Laine (collarbone), and Boone Jenner (broken thumb) are all unavailable for several weeks to come.
Projected lineups below will be updated prior to game time.
FLYERS
86 Joel Farabee - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny 71 Tyson Foerster - 25 Ryan Poehling - 89 Cam Atkinson 74 Owen Tippett- 48 Morgan Frost - 10 Bobby Brink 44 Nic Deslauriers - 21 Scott Laughton - 19 Garnet Hathaway
8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim 24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker 5 Egor Zamula - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 18 Marc Staal
79 Carter Hart 33 Samuel Ersson
BLUE JACKETS
New lines for #CBJ:
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 3, 2024
Gaudreau - Fantilli - Roslovic
Texier - Danforth - Olivier
Looks like Johnson - Sillinger - Bemstrom, and the “Russian… line are intact. Although, Cameron Gaunce was a placeholder for Chinakhov, who missed practice, along w D Ivan Provorov, with an illness.
WJC Semifinals
The semifinal round of the 2023-24 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place on Thursday with the respective winners of the Team USA vs. Finland and tournament host Sweden vs. Czechia games squaring off on Friday for the gold medal. The losing sides on Thursday will play for bronze earlier in the day on Friday.
Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier (five games played, one goal, nine assists, 10 points) leads all players in scoring during the tournament although his game-to-game performances have been uneven.