Flyers-Maple Leafs Preview: Repeat the Streak

The last month has featured an up-and-down stretch for the Flyers. They won five straight games from Jan. 10 to 18 and appeared to be flying high. They then lost the final five games before the All-Star break to bring some questions about the direction of the season into focus.

How have they followed that up? Only by winning four straight games out of the All-Star break.

After sweeping a three-game homestand, the Flyers now head on the road. On Thursday, they face an opponent for the first time this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs await, possessing plenty of star power.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Toronto Maple Leafs	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	54	25	24	49	William Nylander	51	26	40	66
Joel Farabee	54	17	24	41	Auston Matthews	50	42	21	63
Sean Couturier	50	11	22	33	Mitch Marner	50	22	35	57
Owen Tippett	50	19	13	32	Morgan Rielly	50	7	36	43
Travis Sanheim	53	4	25	29	John Tavares	50	15	25	40

Travis Konecny has already played in Toronto this season, as the Flyers All-Star representative. He's returned from the All-Star break with some solid performances as well, scoring three goals and four assists in the last four games.

Auston Matthews is on a tremendous scoring pace this season, with 42 goals on the season already. He has three in the last five games, along with three assists. Matthews has 13 goals since Jan. 3, a span of 16 games.

Sam Ersson gets the start for the Flyers. Ersson made 20 saves on 23 shots in his last start against Arizona on Monday. He is on a personal three-game winning streak since returning from the All-Star break.

Ilya Samsonov is expected to start for Toronto. Samsonov made 14 saves on 15 shots in a win over St. Louis on Tuesday. Since a personal five-game losing streak that ended on Jan. 21, Samsonov has won five of his last six starts, allowing two goals or fewer in four of the six.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Tyson Foerster (injury), Rasmus Ristolainen (injury), Nick Deslauriers (healthy)

Maple Leafs Scratches: Joseph Woll (injury), Calle Jarnkrok (injury), Connor Timmins (injury), Martin Jones (injury), Morgan Rielly (suspension), Ryan Reaves (healthy), Alex Steeves (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Tyson Foerster and Rasmus Ristolainen will each miss their second straight game. Foerster remains day-to-day, while a timeline for Ristolainen is unknown.
Maple Leafs: John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander are all back in the lineup after missing practice on Wednesday with illness. Tavares and Marner both missed the last game due to the illness as well.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (12.6% - 31st), Maple Leafs (26.2% - 4th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (86.3% - 2nd), Maple Leafs (78.5% - 22nd)
Recent History vs. Maple Leafs
- Jan. 8, 2023: Maple Leafs 6, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
- Dec. 22, 2022: Maple Leafs 4, Flyers 3 (at TOR)
- Nov. 2, 2022: Maple Leafs 5, Flyers 2 (at TOR)
Flyers Leaders vs. Maple Leafs
- Marc Staal: 44 GP, 3 G, 15 A, 18 P
- Travis Konecny: 18 GP, 5 G, 12 A, 17 P
- Sean Couturier: 27 GP, 4 G, 11 A, 15 P
- Cal Petersen: 2 GP, 1-0-0, 1.89 GAA, .932 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Joel Farabee needs four assists to reach 100 for his career.