The Philadelphia Flyers are back on home ice Wednesday night, but the welcome-home sentiment comes with a familiar and formidable challenge: Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Philadelphia is coming off a mixed bag of results in their last few games — an overtime loss in Ottawa and two spirited wins in Montreal and Nashville — carrying some momentum into this midweek matchup. The Flyers’ structure under Rick Tocchet is tightening, the reworked lines are finding traction, and there’s even a chance they’ll get a major reinforcement back just in time.
Tyson Foerster, who’s been sidelined with a lower-body injury, practiced in a regular-contact jersey on Tuesday and is officially listed as a game-time decision. Tocchet called it a “good possibility” that Foerster could play, though the Flyers won’t finalize that call until warmups.
Meanwhile, Dan Vladar will get the start in goal — a logical move to help manage Sam Ersson’s workload after his return from injury. For a team that’s been leaning heavily on defensive structure and tempo control, Vladar’s calm, positional style fits the night’s assignment perfectly.
Skating With McDavid, Not After Him
There’s no sugarcoating it: McDavid changes the geometry of a game. Every shift he takes forces the opposing team to adjust its posture. Tocchet was characteristically frank when asked how you “contain” the league’s most electrifying player, who has seen plenty of (he coached McDavid for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off and has coached against him plenty of times when he was Vancouver’s bench boss).
“You’ve got to get in a good position to skate forward, have the second guy because he usually gets past the first guy,” Tocchet said after morning skate on Wednesday. “You can’t take a penalty; you can’t hook and hold… You’ve got to get in position to get in front of them, and you need help… [They’re] hard to shut down.”
That last part — you need help — underscores Tocchet’s broader philosophy. The Flyers aren’t a one-man defense team. They defend together, they transition together, and they attack together. That’s been one of the hallmarks of their recent success.
Against McDavid, that discipline will be tested to its limits.
Foerster’s (Possible) Return and What It Means
If Foerster does return, Tocchet faces one of those decisions that says more than it seems. The young winger’s absence forced a reconfiguration of lines that unexpectedly clicked quite well.
Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) on X
Rick Tocchet said that Tyson Foerster is a game-time decision. Dan Vladar is the starting goalie vs. Edmonton.
Reintegrating Foerster means weighing chemistry against continuity. The natural move would be to reunite him with Cates and Brink, but Tocchet hinted that he may not rush to do so — at least not immediately.
There’s reason to experiment. Foerster’s calm, deliberate puck management could complement any of the Flyers’ current line pairings, especially in a matchup where patience with the puck will be critical. Edmonton thrives on turnovers; Foerster helps prevent them.
If he does rejoin Cates and Brink, that trio will likely be tasked with controlling pace and tilting possession — a role that fits perfectly against a team that wants to run downhill. Tocchet has deployed them against the Sidney Crosbys and Kirill Kaprizovs of the league, so it’s natural that they would entrusted with handling McDavid and Draisaitl as well.
A Battle of Styles — and a Test of Maturity
For all of McDavid’s brilliance and the Oilers’ offensive flair, they’ve been a vulnerable team at times this season. Their depth scoring remains inconsistent, and they’re prone to defensive lapses when games slow down. Tocchet’s Flyers, meanwhile, have carved out an identity built on precision — an emphasis on structure, support, and smart risk management.
That contrast sets up a fascinating stylistic clash. Edmonton thrives in transition. Philadelphia thrives when they can suffocate transition entirely. The Flyers’ defense pairings — especially the top duo of Cam York and Travis Sanheim — will be under pressure to handle Edmonton’s quick-strike game without getting stretched. Jamie Drysdale, who’s coming off a standout performance despite battling illness, gives them a mobile counter to Edmonton’s pace on the second pairing.
In net, Vladar will face the unenviable task of reading McDavid’s pace without overcommitting — something that unravels goalies far more experienced than him. But Vladar’s recent performances suggest he’s found a steady rhythm, and his calmness should help stabilize the group early.
Projected Lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards:
Trevor Zegras – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster* – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett – Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Nic Deslauriers – Rodrigo Ābols – Garnet Hathaway
Defense:
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae – Noah Juulsen
Goalies:
Dan Vladar
Sam Ersson
(*game-time decision)
Edmonton Oilers
Forwards:
Andrew Mangiapane – Connor McDavid – Matthew Savoie
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Jack Roslovic
Isaac Howard – Adam Henrique – Trent Frederic
Mattias Janmark – Noah Philip – Curtis Lazar
Defense:
Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse – Jake Walman
Brett Kulak – Ty Emberson
Goalies:
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
