Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 13 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers: game preview

Puck drop16 Dec · 7:30 PM ET
VenueXfinity Mobile Arena
All-time meetings386 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-one points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. Philadelphia finished 11th on 98, and the 2025-26 season series went NYR 3-0-1.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 387

Across 386 completed games, Philadelphia lead the head-to-head 196-169-21.

All-time record196-169-21Philadelphia's record in the series
Meetings played386This is number 387
2025-26 seriesNYR 3-0-1
Last 53-2NY Rangers
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
9 Mar 2026NYR 6 – PHI 2——NYR
26 Feb 2026PHI 3 – NYR 2 OT——PHI
17 Jan 2026NYR 6 – PHI 3——NYR
20 Dec 2025PHI 4 – NYR 5 SO——NYR
9 Apr 2025PHI 8 – NYR 5——PHI
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY RangersPhiladelphia
20 Dec 202518-15-4 · 40 pts17th17-10-7 · 41 pts11th
17 Jan 202621-22-6 · 48 pts27th22-17-8 · 52 pts18th
26 Feb 202622-25-6 · 50 pts28th24-18-9 · 57 pts17th
9 Mar 202625-30-8 · 58 pts30th29-23-11 · 69 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 20 Dec 2025, NY Rangers were 17th in the league and Philadelphia 11th. By 9 Mar 2026 it was 30th and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Philadelphia out-attempted NY Rangers 227 to 225

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Rangers

225 att · 106 on goal · 18 G · 17.0%
Crease11 att · 0 G
Slot92 att · 12 G
Wing75 att · 5 G
Point36 att · 1 G
Neutral zone11 att · 0 G

Philadelphia Flyers

227 att · 118 on goal · 12 G · 10.2%
Crease15 att · 2 G
Slot83 att · 5 G
Wing74 att · 4 G
Point45 att · 1 G
Neutral zone10 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY RangersPhiladelphia
3.44xG for per game1.95
2.77xG against per game4.51
55.4%xG share30.2%
−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.8
+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.0

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 4 for Philadelphia. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Philadelphia

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2615.7% · 32nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2773.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 22nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 133/248
Drawn · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2715 (3.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
14Sean Couturier40220.50
11Travis Konecny40220.50
74Owen Tippett41010.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
24Nick Seeler40110.25
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 15 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 14 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Dec

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Philadelphia in the last meetings.

Philadelphia crease

PHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Dec

Dan Vladar.8632 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −1.6
Joseph Woll.9292 GP · 0-0-2 · GSAx +3.2

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.8 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

9 Mar 20268 · NYR 6–2 PHI
26 Feb 20265 · PHI 3–2 NYR
17 Jan 20269 · NYR 6–3 PHI
20 Dec 20259 · PHI 4–5 NYR
9 Apr 202513 · PHI 8–5 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05
Philadelphia1.254.253.052.96

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.8Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings8.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Philadelphia · injuries

Helge GransLower BodyIRReturn8 Oct
Nikita GrebenkinUpper BodyIRReturn8 Oct
Rasmus RistolainenUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

5 Oct · PHI

Reinstated C Jett Luchanko Barkey from injured reserve.

27 Sep · PHI

Agreed to terms with LW Garrett Wilson on a 1-Year contract. Loaned G Alexei Kolosov to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

25 Sep · PHI

Loaned Fs Jacob Gaucher, Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko and D Oliver Bonk to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

Injury report
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Philadelphia · 2026 draft

See all: Philadelphia · 2026 draft →
#27Maksim SokolovskiiRound 1 · LondonD
#53Brek LiskeRound 2 · EverettD
#62Martin PsohlavecRound 2 · Karlovy Vary Jr.G
#120Marek SklenickaRound 4 · SeattleG
Full draft

Updated after every final