Philadelphia Flyers News

Tomasino was originally suspended indefinetly by the NHL for a dirty hit in the Predators' game Thursday but has been deemed good to play Saturday as he will not be punished further for his actions. The 22-year-old has been having a decent offensive season to start 2023-24, with four goals, 11 assists, 47 SOG, 25 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in 31 games this season.

Vladar will get the surprise nod in Nashville on Thursday, making his first appearance since Jacob Markstrom returned from a finger injury on December 18th. Vladar was solid his last time out, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced enroute to a 4-2 victory over the Lightning. This presumably sets Vladar up to start a pair of games this weekend as the Flames are set to play a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. He draws a difficult matchup on Thursday with the Flames being slight underdogs at +105 in Nashville.

The Flyers' goaltending carousel continues Thursday as Samuel Ersson will take the crease for the second time in three games after backing up Carter Hart in a Flyers loss last game. The 24-year-old Swedish netminder has performed well in his second career season, with his 9-5-2 record, 2.54 GAA, .902 SV% and two shutouts so far in 2023-24. He hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday, who have lost five of their last six games and are 16th in the NHL in goals per game (3.08).

Dvorak will undergo surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle on Friday and will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Before his injury, Dvorak had two points (2G / 0A) in his last 10 games, playing predominantly alongside Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.

Ersson was replaced by Carter Hart in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks due to dehydration and was a game-time decision on Friday against the Seattle Kraken.

Konecny played only 14:55 on Thursday before leaving the contest due to an illness and was a game-time decision against the Seattle Kraken on Friday. After a cold stretch through most of November, scoring only four points (3G / 1A) in 13 games, Konecny has flipped a switch, scoring 13 points (5G / 8A) in his last 13.

Ersson was replaced by Carter Hart in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks due to dehydration and will be a game-time decision on Friday against the Seattle Kraken. On the back end of a back-to-back, despite Hart playing a portion of the third period, common logic dictates that Hart will start on Friday regardless of Ersson's ability to suit up.

Konecny played only 14:55 on Thursday before leaving the contest due to an illness and will be a game-time decision against the Seattle Kraken on Friday. After a cold stretch through most of November, scoring only four points (3G / 1A) in 13 games, Konecny has flipped a switch, scoring 13 points (5G / 8A) in his last 13.

On the front end of a back-to-back, the Flyers will turn to Samuel Ersson for the sixth time in the last seven games. Ersson's clutch of the starting position for the Flyers is a result of Hart being unable to play due to various injuries and illnesses over the last month, but he has made the most of his time between the pipes. Ersson has played nine games since mid-November (7-1-1), allowing three or fewer goals in each, posting a stellar .926 SV%. That said, the Flyers will be put to the test as +136 road underdogs on Thursday against a Vancouver Canucks club that was shut out by the Flyers 2-0 in the opening week of the season.

Zegras has not played since November 7th but will return to the lineup for the Ducks in their game against the Kraken on Saturday. Zegras struggled to start the season but was presumably playing through his current injury, scoring only two points (1G / 1A) in 12 games. We can expect Zegras to immediately return to Anaheim's first line and power-play unit.

Drysdale has not played since October 15th due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. Drysdale has struggled to stay healthy during his young NHL career, but the 21-year-old has 42 points (7G / 35A) in 115 career games and has the offensive pedigree that could make him a staple on the powerplay for the Ducks.

Drysdale has not played since October 15th due to a lower-body injury but could return to the lineup on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. Drysdale has struggled to stay healthy during his young NHL career, but the 21-year-old has 42 points (7G / 35A) in 115 career games and has the offensive pedigree that could make him a staple on the powerplay for the Ducks.

Nick Blankenburg will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Jiricek to return to the lineup after not playing on Tuesday. Tuesday was Jiricek's first time out of the lineup in 17 games. He has three points (0G / 3A) while averaging under 15 minutes of time-on-ice in his last two games.

Ersson has won three consecutive games and will start for a fifth straight time on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators. Ersson has been tremendous lately, helping his team collect at least a point in eight consecutive outings (7-0-1), allowing three or fewer goals in each, and posting a tremendous .930 SV%. The surprising Flyers, 7-0-2 in their last nine, are -119 home favourites against the Predators, who have scored only three combined goals in their last two games (1-1-0).

Sean Couturier received a maintenance day and did not practice on Monday, and was a game-time decision ahead of Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils. After missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign, Couturier hasn't missed a step. He has points in six of his last eight games, seven total (2G / 5A), and is averaging 3.4 shots per game.

Carter Hart was originally reported as the Flyers' starter Tuesday but instead will be out due to illness as Samuel Ersson gets his fourth-consecutive start. The 24-year-old Swedish netminder has steadily improved as the season has rolled on (.930 SV% in last 9 GP), with his 7-3-2 record, .897 SV%, 2.57 GAA and two shutouts. He takes on the New Jersey Devils, who lost their previous contest 5-1 to Anaheim and are ranked seventh in the NHL in goals per game (3.48).

Sean Couturier received a maintenance day and did not practice on Monday, and will be a game-time decision ahead of Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils. After missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign, Couturier hasn't missed a step. He has points in six of his last eight games, seven total (2G / 5A), and is averaging 3.4 shots per game. If he is unable to play, Scott Laughton will likely see increased offensive deployment.