The Flyers' most important game in years won't air on TV

The streaking Flyers take the ice tonight in their most important game in years, facing the Columbus Blue Jackets in Philly amid a surprisingly tight playoff race.

Too bad the game won’t air on NBC Sports Philadelphia or anywhere else on TV.

Tonight’s Flyers game will stream exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu as part of the network’s seven-year TV deal with the NHL that runs through the 2027-28 season. Longtime SportsCenter anchor and play-by-play announcer Steve Levy will handle the call alongside analyst Kevin Weekes.

To stream the game, you’ll need a subscription to Hulu, Disney+, or ESPN+, which still exists as the ESPN Select plan on the network’s new subscription streaming service, appropriately called ESPN.

ESPN Select, Hulu, and Disney+ all run $11.99 on their own, but there is also an almost unlimited number of bundles and deals available.

If you don’t feel like navigating that digital labyrinth, you can listen to the game on 97.5 The Fanatic, with longtime Flyers announcer Tim Saunders and analyst Todd Fedoruk on the call.

The good news is that after tonight, nine of the Flyers’ 12 remaining games will be televised by NBC Sports Philadelphia.

There are a few national TV games remaining, including Saturday on ABC against the Detroit Red Wings (8 p.m., ABC) and the Flyers’ April 5 matchup against the Boston Bruins (3:30 p.m., TNT). But the rest of the Flyers’ games this season will air on TV somewhere.

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The Flyers find themselves in the middle of the playoff picture after winning five of their last six games, including three straight during California road trip last week against the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks.

The odds remain slim — the Athletic pegs the Flyers' postseason chances around 15% — but two paths remain for Philly to punch a ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Here’s what it looks like heading into Tuesday night’s game:

The top three teams in the Metropolitan Division will secure playoff spots.

The Flyers (80 points) enter Tuesday just five points back from the Blue Jackets (85 points), who are in third place and also streaking, winners of four of their last five.

The Blue Jackets have played one more game than the Flyers, and for Philly to realistically have a shot to make the playoffs, it likely will need to defeat Columbus in regulation on Tuesday.

The Blue Jackets defeated the Flyers, 2-1, in a shootout during their most recent game on March 14 in South Philly.

The New York Islanders (85 points) are tied for third place and also five points up on the Flyers. The two will face off April 3 at UBS Arena.

It is worth noting that the Flyers will almost certainly need to land a playoff spot outright, as they are unlikely to win any tiebreaker. The Flyers’ 21 regulation wins are by far the fewest among the teams they are competing with, and regulation wins are the NHL’s first playoff tiebreaker. Ottawa (31), Washington (30), Boston (29), Pittsburgh (29), Detroit (27), Columbus (26), and the New York Islanders (26), all have at least five more regulation wins than Rick Tocchet’s club.

Outside of the top three teams in the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions, the top two remaining teams in the Eastern Conference will secure wild-card spots in the playoffs.

The Flyers (80 points) are one of four teams within six points of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, held by the Islanders (85 points).

Also ahead of the Flyers in the chase for a wild-card spot are the Red Wings (84 points) and Ottawa Senators (83). Trailing just behind the Flyers are the Capitals (79), although Washington has played two more games.

The Flyers face the Red Wings three times before the end of the season, starting with Saturday night’s matchup at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.