The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs at home on Thursday, marking the beginning of the statistical second half of their 2025-26 regular season. The game will take place at Xfinity Mobile Arena with a scheduled start time of 7:00 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on NBCSP.
This contest is the second meeting between these two Eastern Conference teams this season. In their previous encounter on November 1 in Philadelphia, the Flyers scored first but ultimately lost to Toronto by a score of 5-2.
The Flyers come into this matchup following a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, where Trevor Zegras contributed two goals. Toronto also secured a win in their last outing, defeating the Florida Panthers 4-1.
On Tuesday, only part of the Flyers’ roster participated in practice at FTC in Voorhees as some players rested after their recent game against Anaheim.
If the regular season ended today, Toronto would not qualify for the playoffs. However, they remain a challenging opponent with notable players such as Auston Matthews, John Taveres, and William Nylander. Despite losing Mitch Marner during the offseason, expectations for Toronto were higher than their current performance through 42 games.
In their November meeting, turnovers by Philadelphia led to several Toronto goals. Currently, Toronto ranks fifth in NHL offense with an average of 3.36 goals per game while Philadelphia is nineteenth at 3.02 goals per game. Defensively, Toronto has struggled with a team goals against average ranking twenty-fourth (3.29), whereas Philadelphia has improved to eighth-best (2.80). If Philadelphia can apply pressure and avoid mistakes with puck management, they may have an advantage; however, lapses could allow Toronto’s offense to capitalize.
Historically, Toronto has posed challenges for Philadelphia in recent years. Since November 10, 2021, Philadelphia holds a record of one win, ten losses, and two overtime losses against Toronto—the sole victory occurring on March 19, 2024.
Flyers winger Matvei Michkov is expected to return after missing Tuesday’s game due to taking a puck off his foot during an earlier match against Edmonton. Coach Rick Tocchet stated Wednesday that he anticipates Michkov will play against Toronto after participating fully in practice and planning to join Thursday’s morning skate.
Both defenseman Jamie Drysdale and winger Bobby Brink suffered upper-body injuries during the Anaheim game and are doubtful for Thursday’s contest despite reported improvement in their conditions. It is likely that Michkov and former Maple Leaf Nikita Grebenkin will play alongside Noah Cates at even strength if lineup changes occur as anticipated.
Rookie winger Grebenkin delivered what was described as his best NHL performance so far during the win over Anaheim—scoring an empty-net goal and providing an assist while excelling in puck battles. Tocchet mentioned considering Grebenkin for a netfront role on the power play as that unit continues to seek improvement.
Grebenkin has recorded four points (one goal and three assists) over his last four games. Coaches continue working with him on structural aspects of his play but note ongoing progress throughout his first full NHL season.
Thursday’s game will be Rasmus Ristolainen’s eleventh since returning from injury earlier this season; he played more than twenty-four minutes against Anaheim—a personal season high—and has been important for Philadelphia’s defense since rejoining the lineup.
Should Drysdale remain unavailable Thursday night, Noah Juulsen is expected to fill out defensive pairings for Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Flyers compete as a professional ice hockey team within the National Hockey League since joining during its expansion era in 1967. The organization plays home games at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and engages fans through both competition and community initiatives.
