Flyers vs. Rangers: Preview, Odds, and How to Watch

Finding the win column against the Chicago Blackhawks was huge for the Philadelphia Flyers (30-20-7). They were reeling off a loss to the New Jersey Devils at MetLife Stadium, and salvaging a win on the road is better than getting swept.

“There’s a short-term goal; obviously, it’s staring us right in the face. But, there’s also a long-term goal, and in playing meaningful games at game fifty-eight, coming up here; it’s going to tell us a lot of different things both ways, short-term and long-term.”
John Tortorella; 2/23/2024

Today, the Flyers are back home and host the New York Rangers (38-16-3). The Rangers lead the NHL Metropolitan Division, a dozen points ahead. While the Blackhawks are a team Philadelphia should beat, New York is on a nine-game win streak, including their feature with the New York Islanders at MetLife Stadium.

Leading the season series, the Rangers are 1-0 on the Flyers, defeating them on November 24th, 2023, 3-1.

New York Rangers

New York had a notable presence at the Wells Fargo Center when they defeated Philadelphia. Peter Laviolette commented on the ongoing support and what it means to see the Rangers fans travel on the road:

“The fans have been awesome. Going back to the outdoor game, where it seemed like we had the majority of the fans in the building; they were outstanding. Then, we go to road games, and you look up, and there’s just a sea of blue out there. These are passionate, loyal fans. They’re not new fans, either. This has been handed down from generation to generation; they love the New York Rangers.”
Peter Laviolette; 2/22/2024

Artemi Panarin had three assists in a 5-1 win against the Devils on Thursday. He notched two primary assists, one to Chris Kreider and another to Vincent Trocheck and a secondary assist on a goal scored by Alexis Lafreniere. This season against the Flyers, Panarin didn’t contribute a point but created a high-danger chance off a rush, blocked by Nick Seeler. Philadelphia did a good job mitigating the damage from Panarin, but Mika Zibanejad, Blake Wheeler, and Kreider contributed heavily to the win.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the New York Rangers:

Kreider-Zibanejad-Vesey
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere
Cuylle-Brodzinski-Kakko
Edstrom-Goodrow-Rempe

Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Gustafsson-Schneider

Shesterkin
(Quick)

Philadelphia Flyers

Tyson Foerster could return to the lineup, returning to practice in uniform, denoting he was cleared for contact. John Tortorella wasn’t blown away by the effort of his lineup in Chicago, which Foerster could help provide a boost if he is part of plans versus New York.

Morgan Frost had a few opportunities to score against the Blackhawks, primarily because of sloppy goaltending miscues with the puck by Arvid Soderblom. The Rangers have two stellar, veteran goaltenders, which eliminates the high probability of a puck being mishandled. Frost must remain active in the offensive zone and flex his defensive acumen. Earlier this season, Frost was not in the lineup versus New York.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers, per Charlie O’Connor:

Tippett-Couturier-Atkinson
Farabee-Frost-Konecny
Cates-Poehling-Hathaway
Deslauriers-Laughton-Foerster

York-Sanheim
Seeler-Walker
Zamula-Staal

Ersson
(Petersen)