The last couple weeks have been tough to endure for the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers have now lost eight straight contests, including a 9-3 blowout in Montréal on Tuesday, and have seen their playoff hopes basically vanish after being considered almost a sure lock not that long ago.
Philadelphia isn’t totally dead yet, as they can top out at 89 points if they win out and are only two points behind Washington for the final Wild Card berth in the East. However, it will be a tough hill to climb as they take on the Rangers, Devils, and Capitals in succession to close things out.
Perhaps the major root of their problem has been goaltending. Since January 20th – Carter Hart’s final game – the Flyers’ team save percentage is .844, the worst in the NHL. Samuel Ersson, who has appeared in 28 games since, is at .867 in those 28 games, a decent drop from his .886 total on the season. The Flyers on the season boast an .882 save percentage, also the worst in the league.
However, it isn’t all the fault of the goalies, as defensively the Flyers have sustained a myriad of injuries and traded away Sean Walker on March 8th – the Flyers are just 3-9-3 since the trade. Those issues will wear down a team, and a combination of a decimated blueline and a tired rookie goaltender usually doesn’t spell out a recipe for success. Somehow, the Flyers were able to come this far, though.
A victory in Manhattan is absolutely needed if the Flyers want any hope remaining of sneaking into the postseason. However, this is a team that has lost seven straight against the Rangers and 10 of their last 11 against them. If there’s any shred of poise and aggressiveness left, it will have to be shown tonight.
PHI Record: 36-32-11, 83 pts, 6th in Metropolitan
NYR Record: 53-22-4, 110 pts, 1st in Metropolitan
When: 7:00pm ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia, 97.5 The Fanatic
Last Game PHI: 4/9/24, 9-3 L at Montréal
Last Game NYR: 4/9/24, 4-2 L at NY Islanders
PHI Goalie: Samuel Ersson (21-18-7, .886 SV%, 2.96 GAA, 3 SO)
NYR Goalie: Jonathan Quick (18-5-2, .913 SV%, 2.56 GAA, 2 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
#18 Marc Staal – #77 Erik Johnson
#33 Samuel Ersson
#82 Ivan Fedotov
Scratches: #5 Egor Zamula, #15 Denis Gurianov, #23 Ronnie Attard, #44 Nicolas Deslauriers, #50 Adam Ginning, #62 Olle Lycksell
Injuries: #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
NYR Projected Lineup
#20 Chris Kreider – #93 Mika Zibanejad – #96 Jack Roslovic
#10 Artemi Panarin – #16 Vincent Trocheck – #13 Alexis Lafrenière
#50 Will Cuylle – #91 Alexander Wennberg – #24 Kaapo Kakko
#21 Barclay Goodrow – #22 Jonny Brodzinski – #26 Jimmy Vesey
#55 Ryan Lindgren – #23 Adam Fox
#79 K’Andre Miller – #8 Jacob Trouba
#56 Erik Gustafsson – #4 Braeden Schneider
#32 Jonathan Quick
#31 Igor Shesterkin
Scratches: #5 Chad Ruhwedel, #6 Zac Jones, #73 Matt Rempe
Injuries: None
News and Notes
– All-time, the Flyers are 136-145-37-15 against the Rangers.
– Cam Atkinson enters the lineup in place of Olle Lycksell.
– Samuel Ersson is 0-1-1 with an .843 SV% and 4.06 GAA lifetime against the Rangers.
– Philadelphia has not won at Madison Square Garden since April 3rd, 2022.
– Today is the eighth anniversary of the passing of Flyers founder and visionary Ed Snider. Rest in peace.
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.
