With two exciting wins in their back pockets, the Flyers will go for three in a row when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets for the third time this season.
Philadelphia can take a win in the season series if they defeat Columbus on Tuesday night. The Flyers have scored five goals in each of the first two games. The Blue Jackets have made it close, though, dropping the first game 5-3 before blowing multiple leads in a 5-4 overtime loss.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers' last two games have been exciting for different reasons, but both ended with a victory. They are looking for their first three-game win streak since a trio of games from Nov. 27-30. Those came against Nashville, the Rangers, and Blues. But the second game of a back-to-back has not been kind to Philadelphia. They are a measly 1-6-0 when playing the second game. Funny enough, their lone win came in that Blues game.
They've been able to rely on the play of Noah Cates recently as he's been on fire over the last few weeks. After one goal and five points in his first 28 games, Cates has eight goals and 14 points in the last 16 games. He's been someone that John Tortorella has been able to rely on in all situations. Finally getting rewarded for his hard work, Cates is becoming a regular contributor to the team's offense.
With Sam Ersson starting the first game, look for Ivan Fedotov to keep making his claim on the backup role. Despite taking the loss in his last two games after having a month off, Fedotov gave the Flyers a chance in each of those outings. His 3.40 GAA and .874 SV% are nothing to be thrilled about, but goaltending has been down around the league. If Fedotov can put up another strong performance, it will go a long way to remaining as the backup.
Flyers Projected Roster
Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Olle Lycksell - Sean Couturier - Matvei Michkov
Scott Laughton - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Egor Zamula - Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Ivan Fedotov
Columbus Blue Jackets
Surprisingly, the Blue Jackets are even hotter than the Flyers right now. Columbus has won four straight games for the first time since the 2021-22 season, nearly three years ago. They haven't won five straight since 2020, almost five seasons ago. Their wins have come versus Pittsburgh, Seattle, and St. Louis.
Zach Werenski continues to have an incredible year on the backend. His 48 points lead the team as he is easily on pace for a career season. He's matched his second-best point total and is 10 points away from earning that new high. His 13 goals are the most he's scored since the 20 he put up in 2019-20. There's a reason he was chosen to represent the United States at the 4 Nations. Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov have powered the Blue Jackets in the goal-scoring department with 18 and 17 respectively. Both should also earn new career highs.
Daniil Tarasov, recently recalled from his conditioning assignment, will make his first start since taking a 4-0 loss to the Bruins on Dec. 28. He's lost his last six starts, giving up four or more goals in all but one of them. Tarasov has a 4.23 GAA but his .857 SV% in 10 games is impressive when looking at his other numbers.
Blue Jackets Projected Roster
Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantilli - Kirill Marchenko
James van Riemsdyk - Cole Sillinger - Kent Johnson
Zach Aston-Reese - Luca Del Bel Belluz - Mathieu Olivier
Mikael Pyyhtia - Sean Kuraly - Kevin Labanc
Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk - Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen - Damon Severson
Daniil Tarasov
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Nationwide Arena
Watch: NBCSP+
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Live Stream: FuboTv
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