The 2024 edition of the annual Black Friday matinee will see John Tortorella’s Philadelphia Flyers (10-10-3) host Peter Laviolette’s New York Rangers (12-8-4). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 1:00 p.m. EST.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
Philly is coming off an improbable 3-2 overtime road win against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. After being at a large-scale territorial disadvantage all night and trailing in the final half minute of regulation, 2-1, the Flyers tied the game with 12 seconds on the clock to force overtime. Sean Couturier netted the game-winner in sudden death after Morgan Frost scored the tying goal. Both goals were scored on redirects. Scott Laughton tallied a short-side goal in the first period.
The archrival Rangers enter Philadelphia looking to halt a four-game losing streak. The Blueshirts are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. On the heels of a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers and a 5-2 home defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers dropped a 4-3 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Wednesday night.
Here are five things to watch on Friday:
1. Puck management is pivotal
Dating back to the 2021-22 season, the Flyers are 2-6-3 in head-to-head games against the Rangers. The common theme in most of the losses has been lapses in puck management and/or structural breakdowns.
Last year’s Black Friday game (Nov. 24, 2023) was a prime example of where the Flyers have too often gone wrong against the Rangers.
In a 3-1 loss to the Rangers, the Flyers coughed up a pair of costly 2-on-1 rushes and paid dearly for a direct giveaway on a defensive zone faceoff. The latter 2-on-1 was a rare 200-foot goal that started with an offensive zone faceoff loss, a forechecking failure, and a defender going to the wrong spot.
In that game, a few mistakes spoiled an otherwise strong effort (37-19 shot on goal edge, territorial advantage in all three periods). Add some offensive frustrations in finishing chances and it resulted in losing an otherwise winnable game.
On the flip side, in the final meeting of last year’s season series, the Flyers dialed up a 4-1 victory in a must-win game at Madison Square Garden. The Flyers kept their playoff hopes alive by playing with the sort of focused urgency that was desperately needed.
2. Konecny the catalyst
Flyers All-Star right winger is off the best start of his NHL career through the first quarter of the regular season. It hasn’t only been the fact that he leads the Flyers with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) through the first 23 games. He has also delivered at key moments.
In the Flyers’ overtime win against Chicago on Nov. 23, Konecny’s saucer pass to Matvei Michkov set up the winning power play goal in sudden death. On Wednesday, Konecny created Couturier’s winning one-handed redirect goal sequence.
Konecny has posted at least one point in 10 of the last 11 games. In that span, he’s produced six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. His last two goals were scored against the Buffalo Sabres in the Nov. 16 game at Wells Fargo Center.
3. Couturier on a goal streak
Flyers captain Couturier has scored a goal in three straight games heading into the Black Friday match. In that span, he’s doubled his season goal output from three (all in the Oct. 26 game against the Minnesota Wild) to six tallies.
A strong two-way game against the Rangers from the two-time Selke Trophy finalist would go a long way toward a Flyers’ victory in Friday’s game. The Flyers need a win to pull above “hockey .500” for the season for the first time since their opening night shootout win in Vancouver.
4. Special teams outlook
The Flyers power play has slipped to a tie for 24th on the power play at a 16.7 efficiency rate. In 12 games in November, the team is 4-for-33 on the man advantage (12.1 percent).
On the penalty kill, the Flyers rank 9th in the NHL at an 82.8 percent success rate. Over the current month, the team has gone 25-for-29 (82.8 percent) on the kill. However, the Flyers have yielded three opposing power play goals on the last 12 PK opportunities.
New York’s power play ranks 15th leaguewide at 20.4 percent. The PK ranks second at 87.0 percent.
5. Behind enemy lines: Rangers main weapons
In recent years, it’s usually been some combination of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and/or Chris Kreider who’ve done most of the damage against the Flyers.
This season, Panarin (as usual) leads the Rangers offensively with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists). Offensive defenseman Fox has 18 points, all via assists. Zibanejad has 15 points (4g, 11a) and an uncharacteristic -12 rating while Will Cuylle has posted nine goals, 18 points and a +12 rating.
Kreider, currently dealing with a day-to-day injury, has been slumping recently but has nine goals for the season. Recently signed to a contract extension, Alexis Lafreniere has produced eight goals and 16 points.
Igor Shesterkin has not played to his normally elite standards of late. Overall, Shesterkin (8-7-1, 2.98 GAA, .911 save percentage, one shutout) has made 16 starts. Veteran Jonathan Quick (4-1-0, 1.85 GAA, ,943 SV, two shutouts) has made five starts and one relief appearance.
