Flyers-Maple Leafs Preview: Thursday Afternoon Hockey

The holiday season offers a bit of a break from NHL action. With 33 games already completed, the NHL season is nearly halfway complete, and for the Flyers, it probably feels like much more than just 33 games.

Before the break arrives, the Flyers have two games remaining, starting with a rare Thursday afternoon matchup north of the border against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Game time is 2 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Toronto Maple Leafs	GP	G	A	P
Kevin Hayes	32	9	20	29	Auston Matthews	33	17	21	38
Travis Konecny	27	14	14	28	Mitch Marner	33	12	26	38
Owen Tippett	28	10	6	16	William Nylander	33	19	17	36
Joel Farabee	33	5	11	16	John Tavares	33	14	16	30
Tony DeAngelo	28	4	10	14	Michael Bunting	33	8	15	23

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Players-To-Watch-12.22.jpg

Travis Konecny scored two goals in Tuesday's win over Columbus and seven goals in the last 10 games since returning from injury.

William Nylander has been on a scoring surge of late. He has six goals in eight games in the month of December and added five assists in that time for 11 points.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Goalie-Matchup-12.22.jpg

Carter Hart gets back in goal for the Flyers. Hart made 30 saves on 33 shots in the win on Tuesday. This will be his 10th start in December.

Ilya Samsonov gets the start for Toronto. Since returning from injury on Nov. 30, Samsonov has been on quite a roll. He made 23 saves on 24 shots in his return against San Jose, then followed it up with shutouts against Los Angeles and Anaheim. He did allow five goals on 28 shots in a loss to Washington on Saturday in his last start, snapping a personal five-game winning streak.

Projected Lineups

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Flyers-Line-Combos-12.22.jpg

Flyers Scratches: Sean Couturier (injury), Tanner Laczynski (injury), Felix Sandstrom (illness), Nick Seeler (healthy), Max Willman (healthy)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Opponent-Line-Combos-12.22.jpg

Maple Leafs Scratches: Jake Muzzin (injury), Victor Mete (injury), Morgan Rielly (injury), Nick Robertson (injury), Rasmus Sandin (injury), Wayne Simmonds (healthy), Dryden Hunt (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: No changes are expected to the lineup. Felix Sandstrom is out with an illness, so Samuel Ersson has been called up to back up.
Maple Leafs: Jordie Benn comes back into the lineup after missing 12 games with an injury. Rasmus Sandin was injured in the team's last game on Tuesday.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (29th), Maple Leafs (12th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (23rd), Maple Leafs (15th)
Recent History vs. Maple Leafs
- Nov. 2, 2022 - Maple Leafs 5, Flyers 2 (at TOR)
Flyers Leaders vs. Maple Leafs
- James van Riemsdyk: 18 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 9 P
- Travis Konecny: 16 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 14 P
- Kevin Hayes: 20 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 P
- Carter Hart: 4 GP, 2-2-0, 3.43 GAA, .893 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: Flyers Broadcast Network

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.