The Philadelphia Flyers are playing the biggest game of their season, again. Really, every game from here on out is as crucial as the last one right up until they can possibly clinch the playoffs. They’re facing a Detroit Red Wings team that they are directly in contention with for those final few available spots in the postseason, but thankfully they have a trick up their sleeve: Tyson Foerster is back.
Puck drop: 7:00 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
📺: NBCSP
📻: 97.5 The Fanatic
Pregame reading
- Tyson Foerster is back!! The 24-year-old winger was supposed to be out for the entire season but he is now coming back with eight games left to go and the Flyers right in the playoff race. [BSH]
- Elliotte Friedman dropped a little tidbit of news, as Flyers senior advisor Dean Lombardi has declared his interest in the open Toronto Maple Leafs general manager job. [BSH]
- The Flyers’ playoff chase is fully alive, but is it actually worth it? What if they fall short, can they still see it as a positive? [BSH]
Pregame watching
By the numbers
Philadelphia Flyers – 37-25-12 (5th in Metro)
Goals: Owen Tippett (27)
Assists: Travis Konecny (39)
Points: Travis Konecny (65)
Detroit Red Wings – 39-27-8 (6th in Atlantic)
Goals: Alex Debrincat (37)
Assists: Lucas Raymond (47)
Points: Alex Debrincat (78)
Projected lineups
Tyson Foerster — Trevor Zegras — Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny — Christian Dvorak — Porter Martone
Denver Barkey — Noah Cates — Matvei Michkov
Sean Couturier — Luke Glendening — Carl Grundstrom
Travis Sanheim — Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler — Emil Andrae
Sam Ersson
(Dan Vladar)
Emmitt Finnie — Dylan Larkin — Carter Mazur
Alex Debrincat — Andrew Copp — Patrick Kane
David Perron — JT Compher — Lucas Raymond
James van Riemsdyk — Marco Kasper — Mason Appleton
Simon Edvinsson — Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot — Justin Faulk
Albert Johansson — Jacob Bernard-Docker
John Gibson
(Cam Talbot)
Storylines to watch
Tyson Foerster is BACK
He is risen. Tyson Foerster is coming back to the Flyers before anyone expected him to and instantly making this team so much more dangerous and effective in all three zones. Now up top with Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett, that top nine that Philadelphia will be laying out on the ice can compete with just about anyone at the wing — and is questionable down the middle but we’re not talking about that.
It’s just such an added boost to everything the Flyers have going on, and even beyond just the even-strength minutes.
The power play gets a new look
With Foerster coming back, the Flyers’ power play gets a new look and now has two units who are incredibly competitive and have some absolute gamers on them.
Power play units:
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) April 2, 2026
Zegras, Konecny, Foerster, Dvorak, Ristolainen
Michkov, Martone, Tippett, Cates, Drysdale
That’s the stuff. Foerster’s shot will be welcomed in with open arms to have back on the top power play unit and with Zegras and Konecny and Dvorak playing support as Ristolainen is at the point, then it is certainly workable. And then we get to the really exciting second unit that could certainly give the first a run for its money. Michkov and Martone will be working together, as the red-hot Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, and Jamie Drysdale round out the rest.
This is a dangerous group and all it took was an injured player to come back and add their top prospect.
Sam Ersson is getting trusted
Sam Ersson is going to be getting the start against the Red Wings and it is a massive sign of confidence in the netminder. He hasn’t had a great season, but in his last six starts he has allowed just eight goals on the 111 shots he faced for an insane .933 save percentage and a 5-1-0 record. Hell, he even earned his first career assist in that timeframe.
The 26-year-old might not have a lengthy future in Philadelphia due to being an unreliable goalie in the previous 24 games this season, but right now he certainly has the hot hand and it’s massive that Rick Tocchet and the rest of the Flyers coaching staff is trusting him in a game as significant as Thursday’s.
