Returning from the holiday break, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (15-16-4) open a five-game road trip on Saturday afternoon against the Anaheim Ducks (13-16-4). Game time at Honda Center is 4:00 p.m. EST.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the first of two games between the Flyers and Ducks this season. They will rematch at Wells Fargo Center on January 11.
The Flyers struggled into the break, going 1-4-0 in their last five games and 3-6-1 overall in December to date. The Ducks lost two of their final three games before the break and have posted a 4-6-1 record for the month thus far.
Here are five things to watch in Saturday's game.
1. Between the pipes -- A reset for Ersson
Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson has struggled since returning from a lower body injury that kept him out for nearly a month (Nov. 11 to Dec. 8). In six games, he's posted a 2-4-0 record, 4.28 goals against average and .810 save percentage.
The holiday break was a much needed opportunity for Ersson and the other Flyers goaltenders to mentally reset. Thus far in December, Aleksei Kolosov has gone 1-2-1 with a 4.01 GAA and .855 save percentage. Ivan Fedotov played the first period of the Dec. 5 game against Florida (two goals allowed on five shots) and has not dressed for a game since Ersson returned.
For the Flyers to have a successful road trip before their return to Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 7, improved goalie play is a must. The Flyers need more saves, period, whether it's on typically routine opportunities or the "not easy but not impossible" variety. The Flyers have actually gotten a few 10-bell saves this month on Grade A scoring chances, but they've been overshadowed by the overall volume of pucks that end up in the net.
2. Puck management and defensive structure
These two issues go hand-in-hand with the concurrent goaltending struggles the Flyers have experienced in recent weeks. The skaters in front of the goalies have made life hard on the netminders in too many games of late.
Failed clears, cleanly lost defensive zone faceoffs, unforced turnovers, misread coverages, opposing counterattack goals off initial Flyers scoring chances, a penalty killing swoon since Thanksgiving: all of these issues have reared their heads in costly fashion in recent weeks before the break. For the Flyers to get back on a winning track, these issues have to be addressed once again.
Defensively, the Flyers started out the current season by struggling at 5-on-5 but excelling on the PK. Gradually, the 5-on-5 play structure improved and the PK remained strong until Thanksgiving. Since that time, the Flyers have struggled in both facets. Philly has actually been scoring goals at a much-improved clip in recent weeks (at least at even strength), but they've been hemorrhaging too many opposition goals for their own offensive uptick to result in more wins.
3. Cates line on a roll
One regular bright spot for the Flyers in recent weeks has been the play of Noah Cates' line with Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink. Now that the break is finished, the trio will try to pick up where it left off.
Cates brings a four-game goal streak into Saturday's match in Anaheim. Five of his 12 points on the season (31 games played) have come over the last four games. Foerster has three goals and six points over his last four games. Both players have been very strong in protecting the puck, as well.
Brink has shown improved checking (both on forechecking and tracking back as needed) over the last two months. First and foremost a clever distributor, he's been getting pucks to his linemates in advantageous positions. The points haven't reflected it (0g, 3a in 10 games this month) but Tortorella has generally been pleased with Brink's recent overall play.
4. Power play back to the drawing board
Over the first eight games of the 2024-25 season, the Flyers went 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) on the power play. Since that time, the power play has plummeted to 11.9 percent (8-for-67) to rank 31st in the NHL over the team's last 28 games.
Based off Friday's practice in Anaheim, the Flyers' first power play unit against the Ducks may consist of Sean Couturier, Bobby Brink, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov and Jamie Drysdale. Promoted from a non-power play role to the second unit, Cates skated with Foerster, Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost and Rasmus Ristolainen.
5. Drysdale's return to Anaheim
Much of the media spotlight on Saturday will be on 20-year-old Ducks rookie left winger Cutter Gauthier (4g, 10a, 14 points to date). It will be his first career game against the club that chose him with the fifth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Meanwhile, Troy Terry leads Anaheim with 25 points (9g, 16a) to date this season.
On the Flyers side, Saturday's game will mark the first time that 22-year-old defenseman Jamie Drysdale plays against Anaheim since being traded to the Flyers in exchange for Gauthier's NHL rights. The Ducks drafted Dysdale with the sixth overall selection of the 2020 Draft. To date this season, Drysdale has five points (1g, 4a) and a traditional -13 rating while averaging 20:07 of ice time in 23 games played.
