The Philadelphia Flyers are set to play the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Tuesday, seeking their first road win of the 2025-26 NHL season. The Flyers currently hold a 6-5-1 record under head coach Rick Tocchet, while the Canadiens, led by Martin St. Louis, have started strong with a 9-3-0 record.
Philadelphia is coming off a five-game homestand in which they won the first three games but lost the last two against Toronto and Calgary. Following a lower-body injury to winger Tyson Foerster, who was placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to November 1, the team recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from their AHL affiliate.
The Canadiens have built momentum recently with three consecutive wins and victories in five of their last six games. Their latest result was a 4-3 overtime home win against Ottawa.
One key area for Tuesday’s game will be defensive performance. The Flyers rank 11th in fewest shots allowed per game (26.6), and have improved their goals against average to 2.58—tied for fifth best in the league—compared to last season’s average of 3.67 at this stage. Montreal ranks slightly higher at ninth in shots allowed (25.8) but sits tied for fifteenth in goals against average (3.00).
Offensively, both teams have struggled with shot generation this year; Philadelphia ranks last in the NHL for shots per game (23.5) and near the bottom for goals per game (2.58). In expected goals at even strength, they are also among the lowest-ranked teams.
Coach Tocchet addressed his concerns after Sunday’s loss: “The will wasn’t there the past few games. If you want to play in April or May, you have to play hard hockey. And I think we are playing easy ice. Some of our best players want to play the easy [perimeter] ice, not the hard ice,” he said.
Montreal has similar issues generating shots but has capitalized more efficiently on scoring chances; their average of 3.67 goals per game is second highest in the league.
The Flyers are looking for greater offensive consistency from Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Matvei Michkov as they adjust to Foerster’s absence due to injury. Konecny has four goals and eight points so far this season but has not matched his early-season form from last year.
Trevor Zegras has been Philadelphia’s most reliable scorer through twelve games with thirteen points.
Special teams could be decisive; Philadelphia leads the NHL with a penalty kill success rate of 90.5 percent while Montreal’s penalty kill stands at 76.9 percent (20th). On power plays, Montreal holds an advantage ranking fifth at 28.6 percent efficiency without allowing any shorthanded goals yet this season.
