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Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers (19-11-7) are in British Columbia on Tuesday to play Adam Foote’s Vancouver Canucks (16-19-3). This will be Tocchet’s first game back in Vancouver since resigning as Canucks’ head coach and taking the job with Philadelphia.
The Flyers are in the second game of a three-in-four gauntlet and the front end of a back-to-back. The Canucks are in the second half of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights. In their first game back from the NHL’s holiday break, the Flyers suffered a 4-1 loss in Seattle on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Canucks sustained a 6-3 home loss to the San Jose Sharks before they captured a 3-2 (1-0) shootout home win against Seattle on Monday.
Carl Grundstrom’s late goal in Seattle broke up a shutout bid by Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer. Grundstrom has scored six goals — mostly in fourth-line duty — in six games since his recall for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Thatcher Demko will be in goal for Vancouver on Tuesday. Back on December 22 against the Flyers, Demko stopped 34 of 38 shots in a losing cause. It is expected, but unconfirmed, that Samuel Ersson will start for the Flyers in Vancouver. If so, Dan Vladar will get the New Year’s Eve game in Calgary.
Where to watch
Time and broadcast: 10:00 p.m. ET on NBCSP
Listen online: FlyersRadio 24/7
RAV4 keys to the game for Philadelphia: click here
In-game watch party (Maher Media): click here
Leading scorers: Flyers (through 37 games)
Trevor Zegras — 37 points (15g, 22a)
Travis Konecny — 33 points (11g, 22a)
Christian Dvorak — 24 points (8g, 16a)
Owen Tippett — 22 points (11g, 11a)
Sean Couturier — 21 points (5g, 16a)
Matvei Michkov — 20 points (9g, 11a)
Noah Cates — 20 points (9g, 11a)
Bobby Brink — 17 points (9g, 8a)
Jamie Drysdale — 17 points (3g, 14a)
Goaltender stats
Dan Vladar — 22 GP, 13-6-3, 2.37 GAA, .909 SV%
Samuel Ersson — 14 GP, 6-4-4, 2.96 GAA, .872 SV%
Injury report: Flyers
- Tyson Foerster (right arm surgery) is likely out for the rest of the season. He has a five-month estimated timetable from December..
Projected Flyers Lineup
The Flyers practiced at Rogers Arena on Monday. The lineup was the same as the group that started in Seattle to the Christmas break. Barring illness or game-day injury, the only expected change for Sunday is in goal. Look for Ersson to get the start in net.
Meanwhile, the Flyers continue to juggle their power play personnel. The team went 0-for-3 on the power play against a Kraken team with the 32nd-ranked penalty kill in the National Hockey League.
Trevor Zegras- Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey – Sean Couturier – Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Nikita Grebenkin – Rodrigo Abols – Carl Grundstrom
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Rasmus Ristolainen
Dan Vladar
[Samuel Ersson]
PP1: York, Tippett, Cates, Michkov, Sanheim
PP2: Drysdale, Barkey, Dvorak, Konecny, Zegras
Scratches: Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy), Garnet Hathaway (healthy), Noah Juulsen (healthy).
Flyers Opponent: Vancouver Canucks
Leading scorers (through 38 games)
Elias Petterson — 23 points (9g, 14a, -11 in 30 games)
Conor Garland — 22 points (7g, 15a in 32 games)
Filip Hronek — 22 points (2g, 22a)
Kiefer Sherwood — 20 points (16g, 4a)
Evander Kane — 19 points (6g, 13a)
Brock Boeser — 17 points (9g, 8a, -15)
Jake DeBrusk — 17 points (9g, 8a )
Zeev Buium — 17 points (4g, 13a, -10 overall, 1g, 2a, -1 in seven games since the trade from Minnesota)
Goaltender stats
Kevin Lankinen– 19 GP, 6-10-3, 3.41 GAA, .885 SV%
Thatcher Demko — 16 GP, 8-7-0, 2.63 GAA, .909 SV%
Injury report: Canucks
- Filip Chytil is on IR
- Derek Forbort is on IR
- Pierre-Olivier Joseph is day-to-day
Vancouver Lineup: Last game (Dec. 29)
Evander Kane – Elias Pettersson – Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren – Marco Rossi – Conor Garland
Drew O’Connor – Aatu Raty – Kiefer Sherewood
Nils Hoglander – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson
Marcus Petterson – Filiip Hronek
Zeev Buium – Tyler Myers
Elias N. Pettersson – Tom Willander
Thatcher Demko
[Kevin Lankinen]
PP1: Buium, Garland, E. Petterson, Rossi, Boeser
PP2: Hronek, Kane, Karlsson, Sherwood, Myers
World Junior Championships: Flyers Prospect Updates
- Canada crushed Denmark, 9-1, on Day Four of the 2025-26 WJC. Porter Martone had a three-point game (2g. 1a). Jett Luchanko had two shots on goal (no points) in 15:24 of ice time.
- Heikki Ruohonen assisted on Emil Hemming’s game-time goal in the final 20 seconds of regulation. However, Finland lost to Czechia in overtime, 2-1. Max Westergard skated 12:01 of ice time.
- Shane Vansaghi was a healthy scratch for Team USA in Monday’s 6-5 comeback win over Slovakia.
- On Tuesday, all six Flyers at the tournament are idle. Switzerland plays Germany and Latvia opposes Denmark.
Let’s Go Flyers