Winger Andrei Kuzmenko to make his Flyers debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins

Jakob Pelletier has played in the Battle of Alberta. To him, it felt like a playoff game, that matchup between the Calgary Flames and their rivals less than 200 milesnorth, the Edmonton Oilers.

The Battle of Pennsylvania typically has the same intensified vibes. But on Saturday, when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m., NBCSP), the newest Flyer will be watching from the press box.

With his paperwork still being finalized, Pelletier is ineligible to play. As a Canadian citizen, he needs to go through the immigration and work permit process. And it can be a long and arduous one, with numerous steps imposed by the Biden and now Trump administrations.

“I’m just happy to be here. You’ve got to control what you can and that’s out of my hands,” Pelletier said on Saturday after skating with a handful of his new teammates, including Ryan Poehling and Egor Zamula, who wore blue jerseys. Each is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and this marked the first time Zamula was skating with the team since Jan. 23.

Rasmus Ristolainen also skated Saturday morning. He has not played since suffering an upper-body injury against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

Coach John Tortorella said he was a game-time decision. A team source did confirm the Flyers are leaning toward him not playing due to injury and not roster management, despite rumors swirling. Ristolainen is slated to play for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which opens the tournament on Thursday against the U.S. (8 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+).

» READ MORE: Arrivals of Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier delayed due to work visa holdups

While Pelletier will be out, his fellow new Flyer, Andrei Kuzmenko, will be in. The winger has a scoring touch and should help a Flyers team that has lost five straight and seven of their past eight, including three straight games they were shut out.

Tortorella hasn’t spoken to the winger who previously played with Matvei Michkov and Ivan Fedotov in Russia but is looking forward to getting him in the lineup.

“Goal scoring, it’s certainly something we need,” Tortorella said. “I’m really anxious. I didn’t see him practice [Friday]. I stayed away for a reason. I didn’t want to watch him, I want to see him play a game.”

The Flyers got goal scoring on Thursday night from Michkov. With Alex Ovechkin watching, the 20-year-old had one of the best games in his short NHL career. He scored twice, had ample chances to add a third — 12 shot attempts — and set up his linemates Sean Couturier and Rodrigo Ābols often. The latter also speaks Russian and was seen dissecting a play with him on the bench.

But why now? After weeks of appearing sluggish, why did Michkov, in the Flyers' second-to-last game before the 4 Nations Face-Off gives them two weeks without a game — and a mandatory 10 days away — step up?

» READ MORE: NHL long shot Jacob Gaucher is relishing his chance with the Flyers however long it lasts

“I don’t know,” Tortorella said. “I am no scientist. I know athletes [and] when athletes, they’re sluggish, it’s a mental strain first, and it always ends up being that way. It’s going to be good for him to get away, a number of our guys to get away. It’s hard to play with energy when you try to find traction. ... Yeah, so why it happened the last game, I don’t know. But he looked refreshed, and I hope we’ll see it again tonight.”

Sam Ersson will start against the Penguins. He’ll be hoping from some revenge from his last start against Pittsburgh, when he was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots. ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is not expected to play due to an upper-body injury. ... Forward Owen Tippett, who has an upper-body injury, came on late in the Flyers morning skate. ... Needing a center, the Flyers recalled Jacob Gaucher from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League after sending him down on Friday. The pivot made his NHL debut against Colorado and did not register a point in three games. ... Forward Anthony Richard has cleared waivers and was reassigned to the Phantoms.