Tonight will be a very special night at Wells Fargo Center as the Philadelphia Flyers host the New Jersey Devils in the thick of their playoff push.
The Flyers are coming off a crucial 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday to snap an eight-game losing streak and keep themselves in the hunt for the postseason. Travis Konecny ended a seven-game goal drought, Noah Cates extended his point streak to five games, and Samuel Ersson picked up his first victory in goal since March 23rd.
It was a major gut check for a Flyers team that was reeling in the standings and had lost 9-3 to a bad Montréal Canadiens club the game before. Their response on Thursday was welcomed for sure, but now they have to take care of business against another divisional rival on a night that will mean just a little more.
Former Flyers forward and icon Wayne Simmonds will be honored by the organization before the game after announcing his retirement on March 18th. Simmonds donned the Orange and Black for 584 regular season contests and 30 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs between 2011 and 2019. The Scarborough, Ontario native recorded 203 goals and 175 assists for 378 points to accompany 784 penalty minutes as a Flyer before being traded to Nashville at the 2019 trade deadline.
No one scored more goals than Simmonds in a Flyers uniform during his time here. He led the club in goals in four consecutive seasons (2013-14 to 2016-17) and for his efforts in 2016-17, he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
In the 2017 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, the man they call “The Wayne Train” racked up three goals in the tournament to help the Metropolitan Division win the event and took home MVP honors in front of the crowd at then-Staples Center, the first NHL arena he called home. Simmonds was the first Flyer to win All-Star MVP since Reggie Leach in 1980 and one of three overall to accomplish the feat (Claude Giroux, 2022).
Across his NHL career, Simmonds appeared in 1,037 regular season games with the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The 2007 second-round pick racked up an even 263 goals and 263 assists for 526 points during his career and established himself as one of the premier power forwards in the league. Simmonds also played in 53 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Kings, Flyers, and Maple Leafs, potting 8 goals and 14 assists for 20 points.
As a Flyer, Simmonds ranks 14th in goals (203) and 7th in power play goals (91), and he is just one of 17 Flyers ever to record a playoff hat trick, coming in Game 6 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Rangers.
Simmonds signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Flyers and will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Fans in attendance tonight are encouraged to be seated by 4:45pm for the festivities, and Simmonds will also participate in the ceremonial puck drop.
PHI Record: 37-32-11, 85 pts, 6th in Metropolitan
NJD Record: 38-37-5, 81 pts, 7th in Metropolitan
When: 5:00pm ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia, 97.5 The Fanatic
Last Game PHI: 4/11/24, 4-1 W at NY Rangers
Last Game NJD: 4/11/24, 6-5 W at Toronto
PHI Goalie: Samuel Ersson (22-18-7, .888 SV%, 2.92 GAA, 3 SO)
NJD Goalie: Jake Allen (12-17-4, .897 SV%, 3.43 GAA, 0 SO)
PHI Projected Lineup
#71 Tyson Foerster – #48 Morgan Frost – #11 Travis Konecny
#74 Owen Tippett – #21 Scott Laughton – #10 Bobby Brink
#89 Cam Atkinson – #25 Ryan Poehling – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#86 Joel Farabee – #14 Sean Couturier – #27 Noah Cates
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#5 Egor Zamula – #77 Erik Johnson
#33 Samuel Ersson
#82 Ivan Fedotov
Scratches: #15 Denis Gurianov, #18 Marc Staal, #23 Ronnie Attard, #44 Nicolas Deslauriers, #50 Adam Ginning, #62 Olle Lycksell
Injuries: #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
NJD Projected Lineup
#95 Graeme Clarke – #13 Nico Hischier – #63 Jesper Bratt
#28 Timo Meier – #56 Erik Haula – #91 Dawson Mercer
#18 Ondřej Palát – #15 Shane Bowers – #10 Alexander Holtz
#23 Kurtis MacDermid – #11 Chris Tierney – #25 Nolan Foote
#43 Luke Hughes – #6 John Marino
#88 Kevin Bahl – #2 Brendan Smith
#71 Jonas Siegenthaler – #17 Šimon Nemec
#34 Jake Allen
#31 Kaapo Kähkönen
Scratches: #48 Brian Halonen, #57 Nick DeSimone
Injuries: #7 Dougie Hamilton, #14 Nathan Bastian, #42 Curtis Lazar, #92 Tomáš Nosek
News and Notes
– The Flyers are 1-1-1 against the Devils this season. New Jersey won the last meeting 6-3 at the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium.
– Tonight will be NHL game #600 in the career of Flyers forward and alternate captain Scott Laughton.
– The Flyers are 125-110-18-14 all-time against the Devils dating back to New Jersey’s roots as the Kansas City Scouts of the 1970s.
– Cam Atkinson leads all active Flyers in goals (15) and points (24) against the Devils, while Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny are tied for the team lead against the Devils in assists (10).
Union Forge Vodka proudly serves as the Official Vodka of Flyers Nation. This partnership celebrates the unyielding spirit of Flyers fans and offers a quality spirit that perfectly compliments the team’s essence. Whether celebrating victories or showing resilience, Union Forge Vodka embodies the winning spirit of both the Flyers and their dedicated fans. Stay connected with exciting giveaways by following @unionforge and @flyersnation across all social media and platforms.
