PHILADELPHIA – A two-game road trip comes to an end tonight for the Winnipeg Jets as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Jets (2-1-0) are searching for their third straight victory and a perfect road trip, but they know it won’t come easy against a Flyers (1-1-1) club coming off a 5-2 win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
“It’s early in the season, everyone can play, and are highly motivated to get the season going,” said Nino Niederreiter. “It’s a matter of focusing on our game, ourselves, and trying to get better each game.”
Winnipeg’s victory over the New York Islanders on Monday afternoon was important not just for the two points in the standings. The Jets generated offence at five-on-five and on the power play, killed all five Islanders power plays, and got contributions throughout the line-up.
Four players had two-point games (Niederreiter, Tanner Pearson, Morgan Barron, and Logan Stanley), and Jonathan Toews, Gustav Nyquist, and Cole Koepke joined Pearson as new members of the Jets getting on the scoresheet for the first time with the club.
“We’ve talked about our depth being very important, but man oh man we didn’t want it to be (tested) this quick,” head coach Scott Arniel said before giving his team’s personnel credit for stepping up on Long Island. “When they can be productive and help on the offensive side of things, that’s a real good sign.”
The line-up is still a bit of a question mark for Winnipeg, so the morning skate will offer the first glimpse into whether Koepke or Haydn Fleury, injured on shot blocks against the Islanders and Los Angeles Kings, respectively, are able to play.
Both players remain day-to-day while Kyle Connor and Gustav Nyquist missed Wednesday’s practice for maintenance.
Tonight’s game is the second in a three-game home stand for the Flyers, with the Jets serving as the first Western Conference opponent they’ll see this season. Their head coach, Rick Tocchet, took over the job in Philadelphia on May 14, 2025.
Tocchet bookended his National Hockey League playing career with the Flyers. He wore orange and black from 1984-92 and returned to finish his career from 2000-02.
“I’m sure there will be subtle changes that we’ll see,” said Arniel, asked about the playing style changes he’s seen in the Flyers since Tocchet took over. “Offensively, (he) has a lot of ideas and strategies, also power play that he has a hand in.”
Puck drop is set for 6 pm CT.
