Flyers visit Blue Jackets in crucial Metropolitan showdown

The Flyers take a trip to Nationwide Arena on Tuesday evening to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Metropolitan Division showdown. Both teams are looking to gain momentum as they battle for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers (19-20-5) enter the game riding a two-game win streak, including a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday. However, Philadelphia faces the challenge of playing the second game of a back-to-back set. This season, the Flyers have struggled in such scenarios, posting a 2-4-1 record. Leading the charge for Philadelphia is Travis Konecny, who has been stellar with 20 goals and 30 assists, while rookie Matvei Michkov continues to impress with 13 goals and 31 points. Key contributors Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost will also need to step up to support the Flyers’ offense.

The Blue Jackets (20-17-6) are riding high on a four-game winning streak, most recently defeating the St. Louis Blues 2-1. Defenseman Zach Werenski leads Columbus with 48 points, while Kirill Marchenko has been a dominant offensive force with 47 points. Rookie Adam Fantilli, currently on a five-game point streak, has been a key player during Columbus’s recent surge.

Goaltending will be crucial in this matchup. The Flyers will turn to Ivan Fedotov (4-5-2, 3.40 GAA, .874 save percentage) to give starter Samuel Ersson a rest. The Blue Jackets are expected to counter with Daniil Tarasov (3-6-1, 4.23 GAA, .857 save percentage), who will look to step up as Columbus aims to extend its winning streak.

Special teams could tip the scales, as Columbus boasts the NHL’s second-best home power play at 31%, while Philadelphia’s penalty kill ranks 20th at 78.3%. The Flyers’ power play remains an area of concern, converting at just 16.8% (27th in the league).

This marks the third meeting between these teams this season, with Philadelphia winning both prior matchups in close fashion. The Flyers secured a 5-3 victory on December 10 and a thrilling 5-4 overtime win on December 21, with Owen Tippett scoring the game-winner.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET at Nationwide Arena. The Flyers will aim to overcome the fatigue of a back-to-back and continue their recent success, while the Blue Jackets look to extend their winning streak and strengthen their playoff positioning. Fans can expect a high-energy, closely contested battle in Columbus tonight.

PHI Record: 19-20-5, 43 pts, 6th in Metropolitan

CBJ Record: 20-17-6, 46 pts, 4th in Metropolitan

When: 7:00pm ET

Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH

Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia, 93.3 WMMR

Last Game PHI: 1/13/25, 4-3 W vs Florida

Last Game CBJ: 1/11/25, 2-1 W at St. Louis

PHI Goalie: Ivan Fedotov (4-5-2, .874 SV%, 3.40 GAA, 0 SO)

CBJ Goalie: Elvis Merzļikins (15-10-3, .889 SV%, 3.12 GAA, 1 SO)

PHI Projected Lineup

#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink

#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #11 Travis Konecny

#15 Olle Lycksell – #14 Sean Couturier – #39 Matvei Michkov

#21 Scott Laughton – #25 Ryan Poehling – #19 Garnet Hathaway

#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim

#5 Egor Zamula – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen

#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale

#82 Ivan Fedotov

#33 Samuel Ersson

CBJ Projected Lineup

#10 Dmitri Voronkov – #19 Adam Fantilli – #86 Kirill Marchenko

#21 James van Riemsdyk – #4 Cole Sillinger – #91 Kent Johnson

#27 Zach Aston-Reese – #65 Luca Del Bel Belluz – #24 Mathieu Olivier

#82 Mikael Pyyhtiä – #7 Sean Kuraly – #62 Kevin Labanc

#8 Zach Werenski – #15 Dante Fabbro

#5 Denton Mateychuk – #9 Ivan Provorov

#2 Jake Christiansen – #78 Damon Severson

#40 Daniil Tarasov

#90 Elvis Merzļikins

News and Notes

– All-time, the Flyers are 23-17-3-10 against the Blue Jackets.

– Forward Travis Konecny has 17 points in the last 11 games against Columbus and is riding a two-game point streak against the Blue Jackets.

– After a two-goal performance against Florida, forward Noah Cates will look to continue his hot streak against a Columbus team in which he owns a three-game point streak.