The Chicago Blackhawks limp into Tuesday’s final matchup before the holiday break with the Philadelphia Flyers carrying a growing losing streak and an injury list that’s starting to look uncomfortably bleak.

The Flyers arrive in Chicago as one of the league’s quietest success stories, having picked up at least a point in 18 of their last 23 games while going 12-5-6 over that stretch. That run has vaulted them all the way to second in the Metropolitan Division and in the Eastern Conference by points percentage (.614), a reflection of a team that’s been consistently competitive even when it hasn’t been dominant. The Flyers have leaned on structure, goaltending, and a lineup that rolls four lines without much drop-off, turning close games into standings currency and keeping them firmly in the thick of the conference race as the season pushes toward the midpoint.

The Flyers’ forward group has been offensively sparked by Trevor Zegras, who they acquired in the offseason for, basically, loose couch change and now leads the team with an impressive 1.03 points per game rate (36 in 35). But the group is fairly deep in terms of production: they have 10 forwards with at a PPG rate of at least 0.5. At the top of that group is Travis Konecny (0.89, 31 in 35) and Christian Dvorak (24 in 34, 0.71), both who have played a key role on the top lines. Sean Couturier (19 in 34, 0.56) is still a strong two-way second-line center, Owen Tippett (22 in 35, 0.63) has contributed nicely with quick ability to capitalize around the net, and Matvei Michkov’s production (20 in 35, 0.57) comes in waves but he’s shown elite flashes at key moments.

On defense, veteran Travis Sanheim leads the Flyers in ice time (25:06) and sits second in scoring (16 in 35, 0.46), but it’s two younger blue-liners — Cam York (15 in 28, 0.54) and Jamie Drysdale (16 in 35, 0.46) — have really elevated their games this season to be solid top-four defensemen while being 24 or younger.

Since the Flyers played on Monday night, they did not have a morning skate, so below are their lines from the previous game. Starter Dan Vladar (.910 save percentage) was in net then, which means the Blackhawks will be almost assuredly be facing backup goalie Samuel Ersson (.867).

Lines and pairs in warmups (Vladar in net):

Zegras – Dvorak – Konecny
Barkey – Couturier – Tippett
Michkov – Cates – Brink
Grebenkin – Abols – Grundstrom

York – Sanheim
Andrae – Drysdale
Seeler – Ristolainen

— Charlie O’Connor (@charlieo_conn) December 23, 2025

The good news for the Blackhawks is that, despite Philadelphia’s strong run in the standings, this isn’t a team without cracks. That lack of true dominance shows up clearly in the numbers: the Flyers sit 25th in the league in shot attempt share (47.80 percent) and 19th in expected goal share (49.21 percent), relying more on efficiency than territorial control. The team has lost three of their last five games, even if they picked up a point in those and their most recent game was a victory. Additionally, the Flyers have been a very busy team of late, with Tuesday’s game marking the second half of a back-to-back and already their 12th contest of December. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are playing their 11th and come in with the benefit of consecutive nights off — a small edge, but one that could matter this time of year.

And the Blackhawks desperately could use some good vibes ahead of the holiday break. December has been a brutal month for the team, who have managed just two wins in 10 games, are on a five-game losing streak, and saw their top two offensive youngsters in Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar go down with injuries. The team has struggled to generate consistent offense, while defensive lapses and average goaltending have compounded the losses. The injuries have only made matters worse, forcing constant lineup adjustments and limiting any chance to build momentum. Even flashes of individual skill haven’t been enough to offset the broader struggles, leaving the Blackhawks searching for answers as they try to halt the skid and get back on track.

This slide has caused the Blackhawks to plummet to the bottom of the standings, landing just below the Vancouver Canucks for last place. While the close league parity this season does mean Chicago is only a handful of points out of a wild card spot, a jump back into playoff consideration feels unlikely at this stage. Still, that doesn’t mean the Blackhawks can’t or won’t find a way to get back on track, and that process could start tonight against the Flyers. A tall task without Bedard or Nazar, but absolutely possible.

The Blackhawks did not run lines at the morning skate, but here is what they were rolling at Monday’s practice:

#Blackhawks lineup at practice:
Bertuzzi-Greene-Burakovsky
Moore-Donato-Lardis
Foligno-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Dach-Toninato-Lafferty

Vlasic-Crevier
Grzelcyk-Levshunov
Kaiser-Murphy
Del Mastro

Knight
Soderblom

*Teravainen is not on the ice. He blocked a shot off the foot last game.

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 22, 2025

On Tuesday, a few things were confirmed: captain Nick Foligno was not playing, although he is close to a return, while Teuvo Teravainen who took a maintenance day Monday will be in the lineup against the Flyers:

Foligno is out tonight. Blashill said hopefully he’ll be good to go following the break. Teravainen, as expected, should play tonight.

— Tracey Myers (@Tramyers_NHL) December 23, 2025

Below were the power-play units the Blackhawks assembled during the morning skate, of course without Nazar in there:

#Blackhawks power-play units:

PP1:
Bertuzzi
Burakovsky-Teravainen-Lardis
Levshunov

PP2:
Dach
Moore-Greene-Donato
Grzelcyk

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 23, 2025

Tale of the Tape

Blackhawks — Statistic — Flyers
46.70% (28th) — 5-on-5 Corsi For — 47.80% (25th)
44.36% (32nd) — 5-on-5 Expected goals for — 49.21% (19th)
2.76 (t-24th) — Goals per game — 2.94 (t-19th)
2.80 (18th) — Goals against per game — 2.80 (9th)
3.11% (31st) — Faceoffs — 49.3% (20th)
21.2% (10th) — Power play — 16.5% (t-24th)
84.3% (t-3rd) — Penalty kill — 81.8% (11th)
(All stats from this season)

How to watch

When: 8 p.m. CT
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: TNT, truTV
Webstream: HBO Max
Radio: WGN 720