Rangers Vs Flyers meet again, as lineup changes follow Taylor Raddysh loss
For Taylor Raddysh, the game in Philadelphia is not just another stop on an NHL schedule. Rangers vs flyers arrives with Raddysh expected to miss two games following the death of his father, a personal absence that turns Monday’s matchup into something shaped as much by life away from the ice as by the points in the standings.
The Philadelphia Flyers (29-22-11) and New York Rangers (24-30-8) are set to play at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7: 00 pm ET on +. Philadelphia enters with 69 points, ranked 11th in the Eastern Conference, while New York has 56 points, sitting 16th.
Rangers vs flyers: Jonny Brodzinski steps in for Taylor Raddysh
New York’s projected lineup for Monday is defined by who is not expected to dress. Raddysh is expected to miss two games, and Jonny Brodzinski is slated to replace him Monday. That swap filters through the forward group: one player stepping into an available slot, another role shifting to keep lines intact.
The projected Rangers forward lines list Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere together, with Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck, and Brodzinski next. Behind them, Adam Edstrom, Juuso Parssinen, and Jaroslav Chmelar are projected as another unit. Additional players are listed as scratched: Vincent Iorio, Aidan Thompson, Raddysh, and Brendan Brisson.
Brisson’s name sits in a different kind of limbo. He was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Sunday, but he is unlikely to play. For a roster on the road, that detail matters: a recall can represent hope for an opportunity, but Monday appears more like a night of waiting.
Xfinity Mobile Arena sets the stage as injuries shape both benches
Philadelphia’s availability picture is also unsettled. Flyers forward Travis Konecny is dealing with an injury designation that keeps his status uncertain. One watch guide lists Konecny as day-to-day with an upper-body issue, while projected lineup notes also place him among the injured with an upper-body tag and describe him as a game-time decision. In those same notes, Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Konecny and defenseman Nick Seeler would each be a game-time decision, with Konecny closer to playing than Seeler. Konecny and Seeler took part in an optional morning skate.
On the Rangers side, injuries include Matt Rempe (upper body) and J. T. Miller (upper body), while a separate watch guide lists Jonathan Tanner Miller as out with an upper-body injury. Each absence narrows the choices available and pushes other players into more prominent minutes.
Philadelphia’s projected forward lines include Alex Bump, Christian Dvorak, and Nikita Grebenkin; Denver Barkey, Noah Cates, and Matvei Michkov; Carl Grundstrom, Trevor Zegras, and Owen Tippett; and Luke Glendening, Sean Couturier, and Garnet Hathaway. The injured list includes Tyson Foerster (arm), Rodrigo Abols (lower body), Konecny (upper body), and Seeler (lower body).
March 9 brings two teams with different stakes in the Eastern Conference
Monday’s meeting lands at different emotional temperatures for the two clubs. New York arrives with its road trip continuing, after dropping its last game against the New Jersey Devils, a result framed as part of a rough season. Philadelphia, by contrast, has won four of its last six, including its most recent game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In the Eastern Conference standings snapshot tied to this matchup, the Flyers’ 69 points place them 11th, while the Rangers’ 56 points leave them 16th. Another view of the stakes describes Philadelphia as just outside of the playoff picture in a tight Eastern Conference, while the game is described as not holding much weight for the Rangers.
Even so, the night still asks something of the Rangers’ lineup decisions. One change is in the defensive group: Urho Vaakanainen is set to play after being scratched for five games, replacing Iorio, who is expected to watch from the press box. Those are the kinds of moves that rarely lead a game preview, yet often decide how a team steadies itself on the road.
By puck drop at 7: 00 pm ET, the headline details will be simple: Rangers vs flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with two clubs separated in the conference table. Yet within New York’s projected lines, the human reality remains present—Raddysh away from the team for his father’s funeral, Brodzinski stepping into his place, and the rest of the roster adjusting in real time to what cannot be planned for on any schedule.
