Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Rangers Picks and Predictions for Thursday, November 5, 2026

The Philadelphia Flyers hit the road this Thursday night for a rough Metropolitan Division battle against the New York Rangers inside Madison Square Garden. ESPN+ will carry the live broadcast for this at 7:00 pm ET. Coming off a flat 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, Philadelphia (4-9-4) sits dead last at eighth in the division. Meanwhile, New York (8-7-1) managed to snap a four-game losing streak that same evening by taking down St. Louis 3-1 to cling to third place in the Metro. The Rangers protect home ice beautifully with a 7-2 record at the Garden. On the flip side, the traveling Flyers have performed poorly outside their own arena, posting a dismal 1-5-1 record away from home. Let's break down this matchup with our free NHL picks.

Philadelphia Flyers Still Searching for Answers

Minnesota marched straight into Philadelphia on Tuesday and handed Philly a 4-2 loss. The Flyers had briefly flashed some life two days earlier by downing Utah 6-3, but that momentum evaporated immediately. They have now dropped four of their last five outings. Defensively, this group is playing well below average, conceding five goals to Washington and four to Columbus during this current slide. They consistently fail to clear out dangerous areas in front of their own net. When you average just 2.18 goals scored per game against 3.35 allowed, you leave yourself zero margin for error.

Matvei Michkov remains a bright spot with 10 goals in 17 games, including five on the power play. Trevor Zegras leads the team with 14 points. However, secondary scoring is completely nonexistent as the team averages a weak 23.4 shots per game. In net, Dan Vladar has a below average goals against of 3.21, while Joseph Woll sits at 3.13. Neither netminder is making timely saves to bail out the defense.

Injuries: Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Grebenkin are out.

New York Rangers Trying to Build on Tuesday's Win

The Rangers finally stopped their recent bleeding on Tuesday night. Its 3-1 victory over St. Louis snapped a poorly played four-game losing skid where New York's defense completely collapsed. Getting a win against the Blues was a sigh of relief, especially coming right after a flat 4-1 home loss to Edmonton on Sunday. On the season, New York scores an even 3.00 goals per game and allows 2.94.

Adam Fox orchestrates the blue line beautifully, racking up 19 points on the season. Alexis Lafreniere provides the primary spark up front with nine goals, while Oliver Bjorkstrand chips in secondary production. Special teams give New York a huge edge, featuring a 90.4% penalty kill. With Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, Dylan Garand has filled in with five wins and a stable 2.57 GAA.

Injuries: Sean Durzi, Igor Shesterkin, Joe Veleno, Joonas Korpisalo and Aidan Thompson are out.

Key To The Game

Philadelphia has to find ways to test Garand. Generating just 23.4 shots per game will not break a stellar 90.4% penalty kill unit. If Adam Fox controls the neutral zone and feeds Lafreniere in space, the Flyers are going to spend a very long night defending their own zone.

Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Rangers Game Pick

• New York Rangers

A dominant 7-2 home record gives the Rangers an advantage from the opening puck drop. Tuesday's victory should settle a group that had dropped four straight, while Philadelphia continues giving up too many free chances. The Flyers allow 3.35 goals per game and struggle on the road. Expect Fox and Lafreniere to dictate the pace and secure a comfortable home victory.

Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Rangers Over/Under Pick

• Under

Philadelphia's anemic offense averages a low 2.18 goals per game, making a high-scoring contest highly unlikely. New York's defensive unit just locked down St. Louis to a single goal, and Garand is perfectly capable of keeping this Flyers attack quiet. Expect a low-scoring, structured divisional slugfest. Take the under.