The Flyers, however, have only managed to play at "hockey .500" in this span, going 8-8-2 in their last 18 games and 9-9-2 in the last 20. The goaltending has struggled, 5-on-5 team defense has been inconsistent and a penalty kill that was in the NHL's top three at Thanksgiving has swooned over the last five weeks.
Nevertheless, strictly from an offensive standpoint, the Flyers have trended in a positive direction. Now they need more game-to-game defensive consistency and, above all, more reliable goaltending.
2. Between the pipes
Samuel Ersson (lower-body injury) did not practice on Saturday. Officially day-to-day, he is not likely to be available for Sunday's game. Rookie goalie Aleksei Kolosov (4-8-1, 3.45 goals against average, .870 save percentage) and Ivan Fedotov (4-4-1, 3.48 GAA, .877 SV%) are available for duty.
Kolosov, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday, has struggled in each of his last four starts. His strongest performance of the season came against the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 12 as Kolosov flirted with his first NHL shutout for two-plus periods on his way to stopping 25 of 26 shots.
Fedotov is now one month removed from his last game action. He played the first period of the Flyers' 7-5 home loss to the Florida Panthers on December 5. With Ersson dealing with a recurring lower-body issue, Fedotov has dressed as the backup goaltender this week.
Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll was in net for the wins over the Islanders (32 saves on 33 shots) and Bruins (27 saves on 31 shots). With Sunday's game being the latter half of a back-to-back, gargantuan goalie Dennis Hildeby (6-foot-7, 225 pounds) could get the start.
Former Flyers netminder Anthony Stolarz remains sidelined for Toronto while dealing with a knee injury that required surgery. His projected return will be in late February.
3. Flyers special teams
Philadelphia's long-suffering power play showed signs of hope over the last two games. After enduring an 0-for-17 drought, the Flyers connected for a pair of goals (excluding a tally that was washed out on a coach's challenge for an offside entry 15 seconds before the would-be goal).
Entering Sunday's game, the Flyers power play ranks 28th in the NHL at 15.9 percent efficiency. Toronto's penalty kill ranks 10th leaguewide at 82.3 percent.
At Thanksgiving, the Flyers penalty kill ranked third in the NHL at 85.7 percent success. Unfortunately, since then, the PK has sputtered at 63.9 percent (31st in the NHL over that span). Overall, the PK is 19th in the NHL this season at 78.3 percent. By comparison, Toronto's power play ranks 18th at 20.7 percent efficiency.
4. Homecomings for Drydale and Frost
Leaguewide, it's always special for players who hail from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to play a game in Toronto. In the Flyers' case, both defenseman Jamie Drysdale and center Frost are local products.
Dysdale, born and raised in the Yonge and Lawrence neighborhood of Toronto, will play his second career NHL game as a Flyer against the Maple Leafs.
Frost grew up in the Toronto suburb of Aurora, Ontario. His father Andy, a famed classic rock radio DJ, was also the longtime public address announcer for the Maple Leafs. As such, Morgan spent considerable time as a youngster in and around Scotiabank Arena when the building was called the Air Canada Centre.
Flyers winger Tippett hails from Peterborough, Ontario, which is located roughly 85 miles northeast of Toronto. Peterborough is not considered to be part of the Greater Toronto Area. However, Tippett grew up rooting for the Leafs and his favorite player was Phil Kessel.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Matthews and Marner
Maple Leafs start center Auston Matthews returned from a six-game absence (upper-body injury) in Saturday's game. He scored a goal and contributed a pair of assists in the 6-4 win over the Bruins. Overall this season, Matthews has played 25 games and compiled 26 points (12g, 14a).
Mitch Marner had a five-point explosion (one goal, four assists) against Boston. For the season, he leads the Maple Leafs with 56 points (14g, 42a).
