Welcome to another NHL Predictions. Each day, here at Last Word On Hockey, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for NHL games. For this edition, we take a closer look at the New York Rangers facing the Philadelphia Flyers.
NHL Predictions January 17th New York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers
Season Series 2025-26: Rangers 1, Philadelphia 0
Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, MSG, ESPN+, SN+
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Rangers’ Storylines
The good news recently for the Rangers? Some of their forwards are starting to get going, specifically Mika Zibanejad. The bad news? The absence of Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox, both out with injury, is being felt heavily.
Credit Image: © Vicki Valerio/mct/ZUMAPRESS.com
The Rangers are on a five-game losing streak, including four straight in regulation. Some losses have been pure dominance by the opposition. For this, think last Saturday’s 10-2 laugher against Boston or Wednesday’s 8-4 defeat to Ottawa. Others, have been a slow burn. They were leading Utah 1-0 and 2-1 before a 3-2 overtime loss on January 5th or taking a 2-0 lead on Seattle in a 4-2 loss on Monday.
The recent losing streak has pushed the Rangers to the basement of the Eastern Conference with no end in sight for their issues. Oh, and the team issued another letter on Friday.
A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans pic.twitter.com/JVimBJ59B7
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2026
Flyers’ Storylines
The Flyers enter Saturday’s game on a five-game losing streak, including four straight in regulation. Talk about two similar teams at the moment.
The Flyers’ struggles have really been a byproduct of injuries. Tyson Foerster has been out since December 1st. The Flyers lost Jamie Drysdale and Bobby Brink on January 6th. Travis Konecny left a loss to Toronto on January 8th. Konecny returned on Monday. Drysdale returned on Wednesday. Brink remains out. Rasmus Ristolainen has now missed two straight games. And most recently, Daniel Vladar left Wednesday’s game with an injury.
It doesn’t help that the rest of the Flyers are collectively struggling. The penalty kill has joined the power play in being completely unreliable at the moment, making special teams an Achilles heel. The goaltending hasn’t been much better. Samuel Ersson’s struggles continued, and he was lifted in relief on Thursday, putting Aleksei Kolosov in net for his third appearance of the season.
Goaltender Aleksei Kolosov takes over in net at 2:17 in the second period. #PHIvsPIT pic.twitter.com/0IycW0E075
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 16, 2026
Predictions and Best Bets
Prediction: Flyers 5, Rangers 4
Well, somebody’s going to see their five-game losing streak come to an end. For the Rangers, it has especially been a grind. Since December 6th, they are 5-10-4 in the last 19 games. The Flyers managed to avoid the lengthy losing streak through the first half of the season, but have started the second half 0-4-1. This should be an interesting game, with both teams down their top goaltender and missing at least one regular to the lineup. Give the Flyers the home-ice edge, but expect a close and potentially high-scoring game.
For best bets for the Rangers, take Mika Zibanejad for an anytime goal. Zibanejad has six goals in the last six games and has 20 goals in his career against the Flyers.
For the Flyers, look to Matvei Michkov for another goal. Michkov scored his first non-empty-net goal since November 29th on Thursday, and while it did little to affect the result, it can hopefully unlock Michkov’s offensive prowess.
Main Photo Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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