The Philadelphia Flyers (18-20-5) host the Florida Panthers (25-15-3) at 7:00pm/ET.
A shutout win versus the Anaheim Ducks meant the Flyers earned their first victory of 2025. When facing teams in the bottom half of the NHL Standings, Philadelphia is 15-6-1.
Tonight, the Panthers visit the Wells Fargo Center. When facing teams in the top half of the NHL Standings, the Flyers are 3-14-4. Philadelphia already dropped the season series to Florida, posting a 0-1–1 record this season. Salvaging a victory against a team ranked in the top half of the NHL Standings would help boost the team’s confidence.
“We hold Anaheim to nine scoring chances. That’s not happening tonight. This is a whole different type [of] team [the Florida Panthers] we’re playing against. It’s a big win for us; I know all the stuff that was going on around it. I’m just happy we played the right way. We defended well and played a good game. [A] whole different team here; a team that just lost, albeit in overtime. This is a stiff team. This is a team that we’re going to have to be ready because they’re balanced, they’re stiff, [and] they’re Stanley Cup champions for a reason. I’m hoping we come back-to-back with a good effort.” – John Tortorella; 1/13/2025
To no one’s surprise, the Panthers (-192) are distinct favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Florida has the edge on special teams, average goals scored per game, and average goals allowed per game. The Flyers must protect the puck because possession is their saving grace, starting at the faceoff dot.
When: 7:00pm/ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia; Flyers Radio 24/7
Last Game PHI: 1/11/25; 6-0 W; vs. Anaheim Ducks
Last Game FLA: 1/11/25; 4-3 OTL; vs. Boston Bruins
Philadelphia Flyers
Sam Ersson (10-7-2, 88.8%SV, 2.86GAA) makes his third consecutive start. John Tortorella sticks to his plan to get Ersson going since returning to the lineup versus the Dallas Stars. Tortorella wants to see if Ersson can handle the workload as a starting goaltender. He had his injury history through this season, but if Ersson is going to maintain the starting label, he’ll need to string along more impressive performances against the top half of the NHL. In 2024-2025, Ersson is 2-4-2 versus the top half of the NHL with an 87.6%SV and a 3.38GAA.
Rasmus Ristolainen (-3, 47.6%FF, 61BLK, 70HIT, 15TK:39GV) had a clean defensive performance versus the Ducks. He and Nick Seeler each had three hits, leading the defense. More importantly, Ristolainen forced a takeaway and didn’t turn the puck over. Philadelphia needs more of that tonight. Winning puck battles and keeping the time of possession competitive will give the Flyers a chance versus the Panthers.
“[In] my first year, it was a tough year for me with him [Ristolainen], but since then, he’s been a pretty consistent player. A big, strong, right-handed defenseman. Once he started moving his legs consistently, [he] has turned into a really good player for us. Not just as of late; he’s been a pretty good player for us for quite a while.” – John Tortorella; 1/13/2025
Ristolainen recorded an assist in each game versus Florida this season.
Noah Cates (7G, 10A, 49.4%CF) remains effective. He generated scoring opportunities versus Anaheim, but more importantly, stole possessions at the faceoff dot. Morgan Frost won 7/20 faceoffs (35%) and Cates won 9/18 (50%). As highlighted earlier, Philadelphia must take advantage of the Panthers in the faceoff circle. Cates could be a weapon in that department.
Cates is 10/21 (47.6%) from the faceoff dot versus Florida this season.
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #11 Travis Konecny
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#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
#33 Sam Ersson
(#82 Ivan Fedotov)
Projected Lineup: Florida Panthers
#17 Evan Rodrigues – #16 Aleksander Barkov – #13 Sam Reinhart
#27 Eetu Luostarinen – #9 Sam Bennett – #19 Matthew Tkachuk
#23 Carter Verhaeghe – #15 Anton Lundell – #70 Jesper Boqvist
#10 AJ Greer – #92 Tomáš Nosek – #25 Mackie Samoskevich
#42 Gustav Forsling – #7 Dmitry Kulikov
#77 Niko Mikkola – #88 Nate Schmidt
#2 Tobias Björnfot – #26 Uvis Balinskis
#72 Sergei Bobrovsky
(#30 Spencer Knight)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login