Preview: Five for…Flyers?

The Game : 5:30 p.m. EST on NBCSports Philadelphia, ESPN+/Hulu, and 93.3 WMMR

Well, would ya look at that: a four game win streak for the Philadelphia Flyers--three of them coming against likely playoff teams, including the reigning Stanley Cup champs last night, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Which means today\'s game against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets is almost certainly a trap game. The Blue Jackets are sitting at last in the Metro Division and on an eight (8!) game losing streak, the longest active string of Ls in the NHL. Both teams are on the second half of a back-to-back, which means some strange things can happen when everybody\'s tired.

Strange things like: the Flyers scoring on the power play--which they did last night against Vegas. Twice! And they won! It\'s funny what can happen when you score on the man advantage; it\'s almost like it helps you win games. Who would\'ve thought?! Here\'s hoping they can keep it rolling against a weak Columbus team.

Players to Watch

Tyson Foerster

I (sentient blog) no longer have to use the bit about Tyson Foerster not scoring; (lucky number) seven games was enough. Instead, I (sentient blog) can tell you that he\'s been dynamite outside the score sheet: all of his 5-on-5 metrics have been excellent, with a 53.48 CF% and a 55.97 GF%, and his defense has been surprisingly solid.

Foerster\'s been playing like a bona fide top-sixer. Now that he\'s gotten a goal (on the power play, no less) and can build on that, while maintaining the finer details of his game? Then, sheesh--this guy might be really, really good.

The Power Play Units

After last night\'s success on the power play (let\'s not talk about the five minute man advantage that resulted in absolutely nothing good), let\'s see if they can build on that. This Flyers team may actually be better than anyone thought, but the power play has been the most glaring weakness preventing the team from taking over games. If they can start putting pucks in net while up a man, at even a league average rate? Suddenly, the Flyers move from mediocre to actual, potential playoff team if all other aspects of their games stay steady.

Johnny Gaudreau

Well, you should watch him, because he\'s usually a great player, but Gaudreau has struggled this year, finding himself benched by coach Pascal Vincent. Maybe playing against his hometown team will ignite something and get Gaudreau going again--but with his talent, one should never underestimate him.

Projected Lineups

Philadelphia Flyers

Cam Atkinson – Sean Couturier – Tyson Foerster Travis Konecny – Morgan Frost – Owen Tippett Joel Farabee – Ryan Poehling – Scott Laughton Nic Deslauriers – Noah Cates – Garnet Hathaway

Cam York – Travis Sanheim Nick Seeler – Sean Walker Marc Staal – Louis Belpedio

Sam Ersson Carter Hart

Columbus Blue Jackets

Dmitri Voronokov - Adam Fantilli - Kirill Marchenko Johnny Gaudreau - Patrik Laine - Mathieu Olivier Cole Sillinger - Boone Jenner - Yegor Chinakov Alexandre Texier - Sean Kuraly - Justin Danforth

Zach Werenski - Erik Gudbranson Ivan Provorov - Damon Severson Jake Bean - David Jiricek

Spencer Martin Elvis Merzlikins

Gameday Tunes

An early game on a Sunday. What more could one ask for?

https://open.spotify.com/track/4vLYewWIvqHfKtJDk8c8tq?si=615b83998c574aea

Stats via Natural Stat Trick

Talking Points