The Philadelphia Flyers face the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Tuesday night in their last game before the NHL's three-day holiday break. Coming off a 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks, the Flyers aim to extend their momentum against a Blackhawks team on a recent losing skid. The matchup, starting at 9 p.m. ET and broadcast on TNT, features projected lineups blending veterans and young talent on both sides.
The Philadelphia Flyers (18-10-7) travel to Chicago for a 9 p.m. ET clash with the Blackhawks (13-16-6) at United Center, marking the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference rivals. This game caps a busy December for Philadelphia, their 12th contest of the month and second in a back-to-back set following Monday's 5-2 home victory over Vancouver, where goals came from Nikita Grebenkin, Carl Grundstrom, Christian Dvorak, Owen Tippett, and Matvei Michkov's empty-netter. Dan Vladar made 23 saves in that win, but Samuel Ersson is expected to start against Chicago after the Flyers skipped a morning skate.
Chicago, mired in a five- to six-game regulation losing streak depending on reports, dropped a 6-4 decision at Ottawa on Saturday. The Blackhawks sit at the bottom of the standings with a 2-7-1 record over their last 10 games. They had Monday off, giving them a rest edge, but injuries plague the roster: Connor Bedard (upper body, re-evaluation after new year), Nick Foligno (hand, out since Nov. 15 despite practicing), and Frank Nazar (facial injury from puck to face, out about four weeks).
Projected Flyers lines include Trevor Zegras centering the top unit with Dvorak and Konecny; Zegras leads the team with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 35 games and rides an eight-game streak. The fourth line of Grundstrom, Rodrigo Abols, and Grebenkin impressed against Vancouver and should remain intact. Defensively, pairings feature Cam York-Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale-Emil Andrae, with scratches Nicolas Deslauriers, Garnet Hathaway, and Noah Juulsen; Tyson Foerster is sidelined (upper body).
For Chicago, Spencer Knight is slated to start in goal, supported by lines like Tyler Bertuzzi-Ryan Greene-Andre Burakovsky up top and defense pairs including Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier. Teuvo Teravainen returns after maintenance, but Ethan Del Mastro is scratched. Under coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers have gone 4-2-4 in their last 10, blending skill from Michkov and Zegras with veteran steadiness from captain Sean Couturier. Chicago's Jeff Blashill squad relies on emerging talents like Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis amid their struggles.