The Carolina Hurricanes, winners of two straight and riding an eight-game point streak in regulation, head to Philadelphia for the front end of a back-to-back set against the Flyers at the newly rebranded Xfinity Mobile Arena. This Metropolitan Division rivalry renews with Carolina’s suffocating forecheck (league-leading 3.45 CA/60) clashing against Philadelphia’s opportunistic rush (top-10 in breakaway goals). The Hurricanes’ power play (25.8%, 5th) could feast on the Flyers’ middling penalty kill (79.2%, 20th), but Philly’s home grit—bolstered by recent trade acquisitions—promises a playoff-style grind. With key blue-liners sidelined on both benches, expect a low-event battle where goaltending and faceoff wins (CAR 52.1%) prove decisive in a potential trap game before Sunday’s rematch in Raleigh.
Game Information
Puckdrop: 7:00 p.m. ET (puck drop)
Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (capacity: 19,500; home of the Flyers since 1996, formerly Wells Fargo Center)
Broadcast: FanDuel Sports Network South (Hurricanes local), NBC Sports Philadelphia (Flyers local), ESPN+
Series Context: Second meeting of the 2025-26 season (Flyers won 4-3 at home on Oct. 12); Carolina has dominated recent tilts, going 9-1-0 in the last 10 H2H.
Injury Report
Carolina’s top-pair absences strain their shutdown depth, while Philadelphia’s D-core is patchwork without Ristolainen. Both teams lean on recalls and tweaks.
| Team | Player | Position | Status | Injury/Details | Estimated Return |
| Hurricanes | Jaccob Slavin | D | Out | Lower Body | Dec. 20 (IR since Dec. 1; 0G, 0A in 2GP; practiced non-contact Dec. 9) |
| Hurricanes | Charles-Alexis Legault | D | Out | Hand | Indefinite (IR since Nov. 10; procedure for torn tendons; 1G, 1A in 8GP) |
| Flyers | Rasmus Ristolainen | D | Out | Tricep | Dec. 20 (IR-NR since Dec. 1; 0G, 0A in 0GP; non-contact practice Dec. 6) |
| Flyers | Tyson Foerster | RW | Out | Upper Body | Feb. 3 (IR since Dec. 2; expected 2-3 months; 11G, 3A in 21GP) |
| Flyers | Cam York | D | Questionable | Upper Body | Game-time (DTD since Dec. 11; intensive practice Dec. 12) |
Carolina inserts Scott Morrow on the third pair; Philadelphia eyes Ty Murchison’s recall for York’s spot, thinning secondary scoring sans Foerster.
Key Player Matchups
Projected lines from morning skates (Hurricanes via Ruff; Flyers via Briere tweaks). Carolina’s cycle meets Philly’s counterattack—watch Aho vs. Couturier in the dots.
Hurricanes Top Line (Svechnikov – Aho – Jarvis) vs. Flyers Top Line (Zegras – Dvorak – Konecny): Andrei Svechnikov (14G, 28P) and Sebastian Aho (9G, 25P) drive Carolina’s even-strength dominance (55.2% xGF%); Seth Jarvis (17G) adds finish. They face Trevor Zegras (trade spark: 8P in 10GP) and Travis Konecny (12G, edge creator). Edge: Hurricanes’ depth, but Zegras’ creativity tests.
Hurricanes Second Line (Ehlers – Stankoven – Blake) vs. Flyers Second Line (Michkov – Couturier – Tippett): Nikolaj Ehlers (recent acquisition: 4G in 5GP) pairs with Logan Stankoven’s clutch tying goal vs. WSH; Jack Blake provides grit. Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov (rookie phenom: 15P) centers Sean Couturier (faceoff anchor, 54.3%) and Owen Tippett (sniper). Edge: Flyers’ top-six pop exploits CAR’s road fatigue.
Goalie Duel: Brandon Bussi (Hurricanes) vs. Dan Vladar (Flyers): Bussi (8-2-0, 1.98 GAA, .932 SV%; 8th straight win vs. WSH) continues hot streak; 2.10 GAA vs. East. Vladar (7-4-2, 2.45 GAA, .915 SV%; 28 saves vs. SJS) rebounds from OT loss; strong at home (3-1-1). Edge: Bussi’s form, but back-to-back tests depth.
Special teams: Hurricanes PP (25.8%) vs. Flyers PK (79.2%); Philly PP (20.1%) middling against CAR’s 83.5% kill (4th).
Team Records and Standings
Carolina Hurricanes: 19-9-2 (40 points, 1st in Metropolitan Division; 9-4-1 on road). Advanced stats: 3rd in GF/G (3.28), 6th in GA/G (2.65), +0.63 diff (4th).
Philadelphia Flyers: 16-9-4 (36 points, 4th in Metropolitan Division; 10-5-3 at home). Advanced stats: 14th in GF/G (2.95), 16th in GA/G (2.88), +0.07 diff (16th).
Carolina’s road resilience (7-2-1 last 10 away) vs. Philly’s home OT edge (4-1 in extras).
Recent Team Forms
Carolina extends its surge after a 3-2 SO road win over Washington on Dec. 11 (Stankoven ties late; Bussi 23 saves, outshot 28-25). Prior: 4-1 W vs. CBJ (Dec. 9), 1-4 L vs. SJS (Dec. 7), 6-3 W vs. NSH (Dec. 6), 1-5 L vs. TOR (Dec. 4). Last 10: 7-3-0 (3.2 GF/G, 2.4 GA/G), with five straight road points—elite structure shines.
Philadelphia alternates after a 2-3 OT home loss to Vegas on Dec. 11 (Stone GWG; outshot 20-17). Before: 4-1 W vs. SJS (Dec. 10), 5-2 W vs. BUF (Dec. 3), 1-5 L vs. PIT (Dec. 1), 2-4 L at MTL (Nov. 29). Last 10: 6-3-1 (2.9 GF/G, 2.7 GA/G), but 2-2-1 in December—OT woes persist (0-3).
| Last 5 Games | Hurricanes Record | Key Stat | Flyers Record | Key Stat |
| @ WSH (Dec 11) | W 3-2 (SO) | 25 SOG, Bussi 8th win | vs. VGK (Dec 11) | L 2-3 (OT) |
| vs. CBJ (Dec 9) | W 4-1 | 33 SOG, 1/3 PP | vs. SJS (Dec 10) | W 4-1 |
| vs. SJS (Dec 7) | L 1-4 | 29 SOG, 0/2 PP | vs. BUF (Dec 3) | W 5-2 |
| vs. NSH (Dec 6) | W 6-3 | 40 SOG, 2/4 PP | vs. PIT (Dec 1) | L 1-5 |
| vs. TOR (Dec 4) | L 1-5 | 24 SOG, 0/3 PP | @ MTL (Nov 29) | L 2-4 |
Series History
Since the 1997 relocation (164 games total), Philadelphia holds a 86-61-14-3 edge overall (avg. 5.7 goals), but Carolina flips the script recently: 9-1-0 in last 10, including 4-3 OT win at PHI on Oct. 12, 2025. At Xfinity Mobile: Flyers 40-32-9-1 all-time vs. CAR. Unders hit 6-4 in last 10 (defensive trend: 5.2 goals avg.), with Carolina 7-3 SU in last 10 road vs. East rivals.
Betting Trends
Puck Line: Hurricanes -1.5 (+160); Flyers +1.5 (-194). Flyers 5-5 ATS last 10 home.
Total: 5.5 (Over -132 / Under +108). Unders 6-2 in last 8 H2H; 7-3 in CAR’s last 10 road.
Trends: Hurricanes 8-2 SU last 10 vs. PHI; Flyers 3-7 SU after OT losses. Public: 58% on Under 5.5.
Game Odds
Carolina Hurricanes – 148
Philadelphia Flyers 6.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, December 12, 2025
