Flyers vs. Blue Jackets, Game 33: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The Philadelphia Flyers (10-15-7) will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (10-19-2) in a Metropolitan Division battle on Tuesday evening. This game is slated for 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.

Both teams have struggled mightily this season and sit seventh and eighth respectively within the division.

It’ll be another chance for the Flyers to see what they could’ve had in Johnny Gaudreau. They wouldn’t mind having his offense as he has posted 10 goals and 33 points in 30 games.

“I don’t think you stop Johnny Gaudreau. He’s a really good player,” John Tortorella said. “I think one of the biggest things with Johnny is not so much him sometimes, it’s how he utilizes the other players on his line.”

In the Blue Jackets’ last game, they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Dallas Stars. They’ve now lost four straight games and have lost yet another player in Yegor Chinakhov. He’s expected to miss time with an ankle injury.

For the Flyers, they enter this game off a 6-3 loss to the Rangers. Costly lapses in the second period were their demise in that one. James van Riemsdyk, reportedly on the trading block, scored in the loss.

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Columbus has had the better of things between the two teams. In their last matchup, the two teams scored a combined four goals in the third period to head to overtime. It was Vladislav Gavrikov who gave the Blue Jackets the 5-4 win in extra time.

Goaltending has been a struggle for the Blue Jackets this season. Elvis Merzlikins has given up three or more goals in four of his last five games. He was expected to start tonight but will miss the game due to illness. Jet Greaves was called under emergency recall as Daniil Tarasov will play the back-to-back.

Expected Philadelphia Flyers lines, per PuckPedia.com

van Riemsdyk – Frost – Tippett

Farabee – Cates – Konecny

Hayes – Laughton – MacEwen

Deslauriers – Brown – Allison

Defense:

Provorov – Ristolainen

Sanheim – DeAngelo

York – Braun

Goalie:

Carter Hart

Expected Columbus Blue Jackets lines

Gaudreau – Johnson – Laine

Nyquist – Roslovic – Marchenko

Robinson – Kuraly – Olivier

Meyer – Dunne – Foudy

Defense:

Gavrikov – Bjork

Berni – Gudbranson

Christiansen – Peeke

Goalie:

Daniil Tarasov

Special Teams:

Flyers Power Play: 15.5%, 29th

Flyers Penalty Kill: 75.3%, 23rd

Blue Jackets Power Play: 15.3 %, 30th

Blue Jackets Penalty Kill: 77.6%, 17th

Breakaways

Gaudreau has 20 points (6-14) in 15 career games against the Flyers. … Patrik Laine has six points in his last five games. … Tarasov (2-6-1) has a 3.03 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Carter Hart (9-9-6) will appear in his 25th game of the season and has a 2.82 GAA and a .913 SV%.

Columbus has won both matchups between the two, scoring five goals in each game.

The Flyers will play three more games as they head into the holiday break. They are 5-0-1 in the three games leading into the break since 2019-20.

The 14 games Philadelphia will play this month are tied for the second most in a month this season.

The Flyers rank second in the NHL all-time with a .592 win percentage during the month of December.

How to Watch Flyers Game: