By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
After five days off, the Flyers return to the ice at last. It was inevitable that the Flyers would not be holding possession of a playoff spot upon their return, but that really isn't the case either.
The Flyers are not technically one of the eight teams in the playoff picture, but only by tiebreaker as they remain tied in points with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot. A second-half run will still be required, and for the Flyers, that starts on Saturday night when they host the New Jersey Devils.
The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Devils Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 46 | 13 | 28 | 41 | Taylor Hall | 37 | 11 | 19 | 30 |
| Claude Giroux | 46 | 10 | 28 | 38 | Travis Zajac | 46 | 9 | 19 | 28 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 46 | 18 | 16 | 34 | Kyle Palmieri | 45 | 10 | 17 | 27 |
| Brayden Schenn | 43 | 15 | 15 | 30 | Adam Henrique | 47 | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| Travis Konecny | 45 | 7 | 14 | 21 | Mike Cammalleri | 41 | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 9 Taylor Hall |
| Last 5 Games: 4 G, 0 A, 4 P, -5 | Last 5 Games: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, +2 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 30 Michal Neuvirth | 1 Keith Kinkaid |
| 6-3-0, 3.30 GAA, .877 SV% | 5-5-2, 2.63 GAA, .919 SV% |
Michal Neuvirth makes his third start since returning from injury. After getting the win in his return two weeks ago, Neuvirth earned the win in relief against Vancouver. He suffered the loss in Boston last Saturday and made five saves in relief again on Sunday in Washington.
Keith Kinkaid is back in the net for the Devils on Saturday night after taking the loss in New Jersey's 3-1 defeat to Montreal on Friday. He made 23 saves on 26 shots. Kinkaid is making just his 14th start of the season and third in January.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Dale Weise, Brandon Manning, Nick Schultz
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 28 Claude Giroux | 24 Matt Read |
| 25 Nick Cousins | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 11 Travis Konecny | 10 Brayden Schenn | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 13 Roman Lyubimov |
| Defense | ||
| 32 Mark Streit | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 15 Michael Del Zotto | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| Goalie | ||
| 30 Michal Neuvirth |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-6th, 6th at home), Devils (27th, 28th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-19th, T-9th at home), Devils (15th, 3rd on road)
- Recent History vs. Devils
- Dec. 22, 2016 - The Flyers suffered a 4-0 defeat in New Jersey. The Devils got goals from P.A. Parenteau, Miles Wood, Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri while holding the Flyers to a season-low 16 shots as Cory Schneider picked up the shutout. Steve Mason started the game, allowing two goals on eight shots in the first before Anthony Stolarz finished the game, making 12 saves on 14 shots.
- Flyers leaders vs. Devils
- Claude Giroux – 36 games, 9 goals, 25 assists, 34 points
- Shayne Gostisbehere - 4 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points
- Wayne Simmonds - 28 games, 10 goals, 7 assists, 17 points
- Michal Neuvirth - 13 games, 6-2-5, 2.09 GAA, .923 Sv%
- Milestone Watch
- Brayden Schenn needs one goal for 100 in his career.
Where to Watch
TV: TCN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
