After taking three straight games to close out a four-game road trip, the Flyers returned for the start of a six-game homestand with a thud on Monday night, a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They responded with a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, giving them wins in four of the last five games and six of their last eight, but dropped Sunday afternoon’s game to Colorado.

From disappointing injury news to a player with a career revitalization, it’s time to dive in with a closer look at the Orange and Black. Here’s this week’s Flyers Files observations.

Foerster’s Injury and Finding Replacements

Monday’s game against Pittsburgh was shaping up to be another close contest. The Flyers trailed 1-0 after the first period, but used the power play and some extended five-on-three time to tie the game. Tyson Foerster scored the goal, his 10th of the season.

The goal came at 5:36. On the power play that followed, Foerster attempted another shot from out high at the top of the left circle. Immediately after his follow-through, he crumbled to the ice in pain. Foerster rushed back to the locker room, his right arm dangling at his side.

Any energy that was in the building seemed to vanish right there. The Penguins scored two more power-play goals in the second to open up a 3-1 lead and never looked back.

The next day, the timeline was in for Foerster, and it wasn’t pretty. He would be out for 2 to 3 months with an upper-body injury. Foerster’s goal earlier in Monday’s game gave him the team lead, and while he has some company lurking nearby, it was a huge loss for the Flyers.

Foerster is one of the team’s best play-drivers. He’s a strong forechecker, plays in all situations, and has a shot that can be lethal. His 10 goals in 21 games played this season — Foerster missed four games after blocking a shot with his foot on Nov. 1 against Toronto — followed up nine goals in the final nine games of the 2024-25 season, giving Foerster a total of 19 goals in his last 30 games, easily the pace of a 40+ goal scorer.

That’s the impact Foerster has on the ice. Then came the question: how do you replace that?

To start, the Flyers now have an opening for Nikita Grebenkin to play and play full-time. Grebenkin had been in and out of the lineup over the last several games, and when in, played only limited minutes with the fourth line.

Grebenkin’s first audition on Wednesday was solid. He made a good play on the puck off a turnover to start the counter rush that resulted in the third goal of the game for the Flyers.

With Grebenkin moving up, Carl Grundstrom got the call-up. The Flyers felt it was too early to call up Alex Bump, the notable forward in the minors. So Grebenkin got the first try, and Grundstrom can be up as the 11th or 12th forward.

If things should start to turn for Grebenkin, and choosing another option becomes necessary, it could be Bump’s time. But for now, it’s truly a next-man-up mentality in the Flyers’ locker room.

Zegras Continues Fast Start to Flyers’ Career

Trevor Zegras has been a highly profiled player since being acquired by the Flyers, and rightfully so. He comes with so much flash and skill on the ice, and a great personality off it.

But the last two seasons were hardly enjoyable for Zegras. He played in 31 games in 2023-24, missing a combined 51 games due to two injuries during the season. He had six goals and 15 points that season.

Then came last season, slightly better health-wise with 57 games played, but only managing 12 goals and 32 points.

Zegras has already eclipsed his 2023-24 season totals. And he’s nearly at his numbers from last season…just 27 games into his Flyers’ career.

It’s why GM Danny Briere and the Flyers took a chance on acquiring Zegras. At 24 years old, there was still potentially plenty to unlock, and the Flyers are finding that there’s more in the tank at this point.

Zegras reached the 10-goal mark on Wednesday night in an unconventional way. His attempted pass deflected from the high slot and into the net. It’s the kind of bounce that players get when things are going really well.

His goal-scoring pace would shatter his previous career-high of 23 goals in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. His current point-per-game pace puts his career high of 65 points on notice, too.

And, of course, a player with Zegras’ skill has completely transformed the way the Flyers approach the shootout. Having an essential cheat code in the skills competition, plus goalies who have taken care of business on their end in the shootout, has produced a 5-0 record in shootouts this season.

The more this continues to play out in Zegras’ favor, the more the demands of a new contract will come. Zegras is a restricted free agent after this season. And it sure seems like he’s found a long-term fit in Philadelphia.

Another Long Homestand

The Flyers have already had a four-game and five-game homestand, and they one-up it once again to start December. A six-game homestand started on Monday and spans until Dec. 13.

By the time the six games are over, the Flyers will have played 30 regular-season games. Nineteen of those will have been on home ice. So far, the Flyers are 9-5-2 on home ice this season.

Two things that have helped the Flyers at the start of the season are a couple of extended breaks from games — like the three days off they had prior to Sunday’s game against Colorado — and a lot of time at home. Their longest road trip of the season was just last week, four straight on the road around the Thanksgiving holiday. That will change by the end of this month. They will play nine of 10 games on the road following the six-game homestand.

But this stretch at home provides another opportunity for the Flyers to enjoy the comforts that come with it and to see if it further fuels their early-season success.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

Philadelphia Flyers Uniforms Through The Years

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