The Flyers are in need of a win and will try to find that in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.
Both teams have very similar records, though Columbus is the hotter team right now. They’re coming off a rather dominant win over Winnipeg so confidence will be at an all time high.
The two sides will see a lot of each other over the next month when they play three games against each other.
Philadelphia Flyers
While offense continues to be a problem in certain situations, the Flyers have begun to see positive signs. Owen Tippett has four goals in his last four games. He has seven in his last 16 games after just one in the first 12 games he played. Joel Farabee also found the scoresheet in the last game, a much needed moment for him.
The Flyers have a healthy lineup for the first time in awhile. Sam Ersson and Jamie Drysdale returned in the last game and both didn’t look out of place. Ersson was sharp when he needed to be and despite not getting the win, it was a good sign after the time missed. Drysdale had a goal taken off due to interference, but the team is looking for him to be involved in the offense.
December has been a busy schedule and Philadelphia hasn’t had an ideal start. They’ve lost all three games to start the month and didn’t look the sharpest in their last game against Utah. They won’t have a break for a few more days so fighting through the lack of energy is key against a Columbus team that has plenty of young talent.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Joel Farabee - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Scott Laughton - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae - Rasmus Ristolainen
Jamie Drysdale - Nick Seeler
Sam Ersson
Columbus Blue Jackets
Even after an impressive win over Winnipeg in their last game, December hasn’t been kind to Columbus either. Before that, the Blue Jackets had lost three straight and were outscored 14-5. They’ve still had a better start to the season than most expected, though they were last in the division.
It’s been an incredible season for Zach Werenski thus far. He leads Columbus with 28 points, though 20 of those points are assists. Werenski hasn’t scored in five games after four in the previous four games. Kirill Marchenko is the only Blue Jackets player with double digit goals. It’s been a strong start to the season for him as well.
After backstopping the Blue Jackets to a win over the Jets, Elvis Merzlikins will be back in the net again. He has won three of his last five games. In 18 games, Merzlikins has a 2.95 GAA and a .893 SV%.
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
James van Riemsdyk - Sean Monahan - Kent Johnson
Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantilli - Kirill Marchenko
Zachary Aston-Reese - Cole Sillinger - Mathieu Olivier
Justin Danforth - Sean Kuraly - Kevin Labanc
Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro
Ivan Provorov - Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen - Jordan Harris
Elvis Merzlikins
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 7:30 PM
Where: Nationwide Arena
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTv
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