The Philadelphia Flyers return home at an interesting point in their season—buoyed by one of their most convincing wins of the year, yet keenly aware of how quickly momentum has slipped away from them in similar moments before.
Their 7–3 win over Colorado was a controlled, assertive performance against a team that rarely allows opponents to dictate terms. Monday night’s matchup with the New York Islanders will test whether that performance was an inflection point or merely a high-water mark.
1. A Fourth Straight Start for Sam Ersson.
Sam Ersson will make his fourth consecutive start in goal tonight. Against Colorado, Ersson was cool under prolonged pressure, particularly during stretches when the Flyers were pinned in their own zone.
Head coach Rick Tocchet praised Ersson's performances throughout their road trip last week, where they collected five out of six possible points, calling the three-game stretch against Vegas, Utah, and Colorado "kind of a death trip, a gauntlet... He dug deep. Those are three tough teams."
It makes sense that the Flyers would ride Ersson's hot hand, but he will be tested differently against the Islanders. New York does not overwhelm teams with speed, but with repetition. They funnel pucks to the net, grind below the goal line, and rely on layered pressure to create breakdowns.
For Ersson, this will be about patience and communication as much as reflexes—managing screens, directing rebounds, and trusting his defense to clear bodies. Giving him a fourth straight start suggests the Flyers want him carrying that responsibility again.
2. A Couple of Lineup Changes Against New York.
Nikita Grebenkin will dress, while Garnet Hathaway comes out of the lineup. It’s a change that hints at what the Flyers believe this game will demand. Hathaway brings edge and physical confrontation; Grebenkin brings puck support, retrieval ability, and a more controlled presence through the neutral zone.
Nikita Grebenkin (29). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)On the back end, Rasmus Ristolainen appears ready to return after missing time with an upper-body injury. Tocchet told media this morning that he “seems like he’s good to go,” and if he does play, his presence could be vital in collecting another two points. Ristolainen’s value here is in winning net-front positioning, killing cycles early, and allowing the Flyers to exit the zone without scrambling. This gives them a little more security on the back end and, in turn, more freedom to move forward and get some free-flowing offense.
3. A Division Game With Real Consequences.
The standings add weight to this matchup. With a regulation win, the Flyers have a path to third place in the Metropolitan Division, and they're not pretending to ignore the weight of that.
“We recognize certain things with our team,” Tocchet told media after morning skate. “After wins, our record’s not that great… This is a maturity game for us tonight; I’d like to really see how we react.”
If the Flyers are going to translate their Colorado performance into something sustainable, this is the test.
4. Rest, Readiness, and the Mental Side of Preparation.
The Flyers held a morning skate but did not practice Saturday or Sunday, a consequence of a compressed schedule and inclement weather conditions. Tocchet made it clear he is less concerned about physical freshness than mental engagement.
“I’m not going to worry. We’ll see the result,” he said. “I worry in the sense that, to me, it’s all mental… You should see these two days as a rest. You should have a lot of legs instead of the opposite.”
He acknowledged that practice time has been limited, but also emphasized that every team faces similar stretches. What matters is how players handle that autonomy—whether days off become recovery or complacency. Tocchet even joked about players shoveling snow after a recent storm—“You get the squats in, right?”—but the underlying point was serious. Readiness is a choice.
“This is something we’ve gotta deal with,” he added. “That’s mental reps.”
5. Confidence Off the Rush, and Knowing When to Use It.
One of the most encouraging developments in recent games has been the Flyers’ growing confidence attacking off the rush.
Against Colorado, they were decisive through the neutral zone, supporting the puck well and turning retrievals into quick-strike opportunities. That confidence is significant, but it has to be used strategically against the Islanders.
New York is adept at killing odd-man rushes and turning overextended plays into counterattacks. The Flyers will need to recognize when to push pace and when to settle into possession. This is where growth shows up.
Projected Lines
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards:
Trevor Zegras - Christian Dvorak - Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey - Sean Couturier - Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Nikita Grebenkin - Lane Pederson - Carl Grundstrom
Defense:
Travis Sanheim - Cam York
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae - Rasmus Ristolainen
Goalies:
Sam Ersson
Aleksei Kolosov
New York Islanders
Forwards:
Maxim Shabanov - Bo Horvat - Emil Heineman
Anthony Duclair - Mat Barzal - Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Jonathan Drouin
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Marc Gatcomb
Defense:
Matthew Schaefer - Scott Mayfield
Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist - Isaiah George
Goalies:
Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich