NHL Game of the Week : Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers will travel to the world's most famous arena to take on the New York Rangers in a divisional clash with plenty of playoff implications.

The Rangers are continuing their pursuit of the Presidents' Trophy while the Flyers are attempting to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The Flyers enter this one with a record of 36-32-11 but have lost their last eight games.

Most recently, they got crushed by the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, falling 9-3.

Travis Konecny has led the way offensively, pacing the squad with 31 goals and 34 assists, while Owen Tippett and Joel Farabee have supplemented the scoring with 53 and 50 points, respectively.

On defense, it's been the Travis Sanheim and Cam York show, as both play over 22:30 a night while contributing offensively. Sanheim (43 points) and York (29) are both in the top 10 in scoring on the black and orange.

Following Carter Hart’s leave of absence, Samuel Ersson has taken over the crease and should get the start in this one.

Ersson is posting a 2.96 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage this season. The Swedish native will have to make some big saves if the Flyers want to walk away with two points for the first time since March 23.

The Rangers enter this one with a record of 53-22-4 and on a hot streak, having won eight out of their last 10 games.

Hart Trophy contender Artemi Panarin has carried the load offensively, leading the Blueshirts in goals (46), assists (70) and points (116).

Panarin’s movement in the offensive zone should cause the Flyers headaches, as the black and orange have struggled to mark their men recently.

Mika Zibanejad is having another stellar campaign with 26 goals and 43 assists, while Vincent Trocheck has blossomed in his second year playing in the Big Apple. He made the all-star game with 25 goals, 51 assists and has won 58.5% of faceoffs.

On defense, Adam Fox has continued to play an elite two-way game with 16 goals and 54 assists while being a plus-20. Fox makes the largest impact when he has space and on the man advantage, where he often quarterbacks the unit and has 26 apples.

Between the pipes, perennial Vezina candidate Igor Shesterkin is having his worst statistical season as a pro but still has solid numbers: a 2.65 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

Jonathan Quick has been an excellent 1B to Shesterkin’s 1A, having a resurgence in his first full season out of Los Angeles, backstopping his way to a 2.56 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

Either could start on Thursday and likely cause issues for the Flyers' offense, which has struggled recently.

The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. EST.

Ben Palillo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.