While the Flyers have been playing superbly since their 10-game losing streak, that mileage has certainly varied for other teams in the Metropolitan Division. The Columbus Blue Jackets, a team many thought would be a contender this season, find themselves on the outside looking in (just by a point), and have won just three out of their last 10 games — a stretch that also includes a five-game losing streak.
It's the second meeting between both teams this season, and a chance for the Flyers to make some ground up after a shootout loss to New Jersey on Tuesday. One thing the Flyers should be prepare for? A lot of shots to the net. With a staggering 57 shots on net on Wednesday (a 6-3 loss to Toronto), the Blue Jackets became the first team since 1967-68 to record three consecutive games of 50 or more shots. John Tortorella's getting simplistic these days, having his team throw everything but the kitchen sink on net.
The game is also a chance for the Flyers to exorcise one of the weirdest demons in the NHL. The Orange and Black have not won at Nationwide Arena since December 2005, amassing a 0-5-6 record along the way. It's a building they've only won in twice — for perspective, they have as many ties there as they do wins. Not something you see every day in the NHL, but a weird stat nonetheless.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Columbus Blue Jackets | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 57 | 19 | 47 | 66 | Artemi Panarin | 57 | 15 | 31 | 46 |
| Jake Voracek | 57 | 11 | 54 | 65 | Seth Jones | 57 | 8 | 28 | 36 |
| Sean Couturier | 57 | 28 | 29 | 57 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 57 | 10 | 22 | 32 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 53 | 10 | 34 | 44 | Josh Anderson | 55 | 17 | 11 | 28 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 57 | 19 | 16 | 35 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 57 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| Last 5 Games: 0 G, 8 A, 8 P, +4 | Last 5 Games: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, +3 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 30 Michal Neuvirth | 72 Sergei Bobrovsky |
| 7-7-3, 2.58 GAA, .915 SV% | 10-7-2, 3.29 GAA, .892 SV% |
Making his third consecutive start, Michal Neuvirth will look to get the Flyers back in the win column after they blew a two-goal lead on Tuesday. He let up a goal in the 2nd period to Taylor Hall that he'd surely like to forget, which didn't help matters. He'll be getting the bulk of the starts after Brian Elliott's lengthy injury, and he'll need to put games like that behind him. Tonight's his first chance to do so.
You'll probably be seeing his name strewn all over Twitter tonight, so I'm just going to come out and say it right here and set the record straight: Sergei Bobrovsky was not going to re-sign with the Flyers in 2012.
Bobrovsky's enduring a bit of a down year this season, though not quite as drastic as his rough 2015-16 season. Regardless, the two-time (and reigning) Vezina Trophy winner always gives the Blue Jackets a chance to win, especially against his former team. He's posted a 9-2-0 record against them, with a dominant 1.79 goals allowed average and .939 save percentage. Snapping that Columbus drought will come at a premium.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Brian Elliott
Scratches: Taylor Leier, Mark Alt
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 11 Travis Konecny |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 19 Nolan Patrick | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 40 Jordan Weal | 21 Scott Laughton | 12 Michael Raffl |
| 15 Jori Lehtera | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 22 Dale Weise |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 8 Robert Hagg | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 30 Michal Neuvirth |
Lineup Notes: Not too much change from their lineup on Tuesday, though Jordan Weal and Michael Raffl will swap wings on the third line.
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
Injuries: Brian Boyle has an undetermined injury and is out tonight. Brian Gibbons will miss four weeks with a broken right thumb. Marcus Johansson is out with a concussion and his timetable to return is unknown. John Quenneville has an unspecified injury and is out for tonight's game. Cory Schneider has a groin injury and will miss seven to 10 days.
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 9 Artemi Panarin | 18 Pierre-Luc Dubois | 13 Cam Atkinson |
| 71 Nick Foligno | 10 Alexander Wennberg | 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| 38 Boone Jenner | 17 Brandon Dubinsky | 77 Josh Anderson |
| 36 Matt Calvert | 45 Lukas Sedlak | 36 Jussi Jokinen |
| Defense | ||
| 8 Zach Werenski | 3 Seth Jones | |
| 7 Jack Johnson | 65 Markus Nutivaara | |
| 46 Dean Kukan | 58 David Savard | |
| Goalie | ||
| 72 Sergei Bobrovsky |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (8th, 2nd on road), Blue Jackets (31st, 26th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 25th on road), Blue Jackets (27th, 14th at home)
- Recent History vs. Blue Jackets
- Dec. 23, 2017 – Blue Jackets 2, Flyers 1 – F/OT (at CBJ)
- April 8, 2017 – Flyers 4, Blue Jackets 2 (at PHI)
- March 25, 2017 – Blue Jackets 1, Flyers 0 (at CBJ)
- March 13, 2017 – Blue Jackets 5, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux is one goal away from 200.
- Sean Couturier is two goals away from 100.
- Shayne Gostisbehere is five assists away from 100.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
