Flyers Looking For Answers Against Struggling Rangers

Entering nan Christmas break, nan Philadelphia Flyers sat successful 3rd spot successful nan Metropolitan division, exceeding their 2025-26 expectations by a landslide. Now, connected January 17, nan squad sits connected nan extracurricular of nan playoff image pinch a five-game losing skid to spell pinch it.

They play big to different struggling squad, nan New York Rangers, successful a Saturday matinee showdown.

Production Drying Up astatine nan Top

The Flyers’ violative slowdown has coincided pinch reduced accumulation from respective of their cardinal contributors.

Trevor Zegras leads nan Flyers successful some goals (18) and points (42), but Philadelphia has struggled to make accordant scoring beyond its apical group during nan skid. Travis Konecny follows intimately pinch 39 points successful 45 games, yet nan Flyers person scored conscionable 9 full goals complete their past 5 games, a crisp driblet from nan balanced scoring that fueled their early-season success.

Philadelphia’s issues are particularly evident astatine five-on-five, wherever sustained offensive-zone clip has been difficult to generate. The Flyers are averaging conscionable complete 26 shots per crippled this season, and that number has dipped during nan losing streak arsenic opponents person constricted second-chance opportunities and forced play to nan perimeter.

Special Teams No Longer a Strength

What erstwhile helped nan Flyers enactment afloat has go a increasing concern. The Flyers’ powerfulness play ranks past successful nan NHL astatine 15%, while nan punishment termination sits astatine 77.8%. In a agelong defined by tight margins, missed power-play chances and goals against while shorthanded person loomed large, peculiarly successful one-goal losses.

Philadelphia has besides struggled to flip momentum precocious successful games. The Flyers are conscionable 4–15–3 erstwhile trailing aft 2 periods, a reflection of an discourtesy that has had trouble uncovering different cogwheel erstwhile chasing games.

Injuries Continue to Pile Up

The Flyers’ skid has besides travel amid mounting wounded concerns. Bobby Brink remains sidelined, depriving Philadelphia of a accordant middle-six scoring presence. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale has returned and is nary longer an issue, but nan biggest rustle came successful net.

Dan Vladar, who has been Philadelphia’s astir reliable goaltender this play pinch a 2.46 goals-against mean and a .905 prevention percentage, is now retired pinch an injury, and location is nary clear timetable for his return. Vladar has been a stabilizing unit for overmuch of nan play and his absence places added unit connected a squad already searching for confidence. The netminder was named to Team Czechia's 2026 Olympic roster, truthful his wounded is thing to decidedly support an oculus on.

With Vladar sidelined, nan Flyers recalled Aleksei Kolosov, but it remains unclear who will get nan commencement against nan Blueshirts.

Samuel Ersson enters nan matchup pinch a 3.42 goals-against mean and an .853 prevention percentage, while Philadelphia looks for stableness successful nett aft allowing astatine slightest 3 goals successful 4 of its past 5 games. Kolosov has had coagulated numbers successful nan AHL, going 9-9-1 pinch a 2.54 goals-against mean and a .908 prevention percent pinch 2 shutouts.

A Struggling Opponent, A Needed Response

The Rangers get successful Philadelphia connected a five-game losing streak of their own, mounting nan shape for a matchup betwixt 2 teams looking to reset. For nan Flyers, however, nan urgency is amplified.

Just a period ago, nan Rangers hosted nan Flyers astatine Madison Square Garden, erasing a two-goal shortage en way to a 5-4 shootout win.

With injuries mounting, scoring difficult to travel by, and nan Metropolitan Division tightening, Saturday represents different opportunity to rediscover nan personality that carried Philadelphia done nan season's first half.

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