The Game: 7:00 p.m. on TNT
Second verse, same as the first! Or so we hope, anyway. Have the Devils, perchance, found a team that just happens to have their number? The Flyers have won both meetings between the two teams this season, and are going for the third win tonight to complete the “hat trick.” This bodes well for when the Flyers’ contention window inevitably aligns with New Jersey’s, and suddenly we have a seven game series on the docket.
Both teams will have to get to the playoffs for that to happen, of course, and that still doesn’t look likely for the Flyers; the New York Islanders are on a five-game win streak and surging up the Metro standings. The Devils are third in the Metropolitan Division and seven points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, so New Jersey has a playoff spot more or less locked up. Still, they’re 4-3-3 in their last 10, and they did not look like a true Stanley Cup contending team against the Flyers on Monday. They’re dealing with some injuries, sure (captain Nico Hischier is out week-to-week), but a hallmark of Cup contenders is that the supporting cast is strong enough to weather some adversity–so far, this team hasn’t. They’ll be looking to prove the doubters wrong tonight.
Storylines to Follow
Sam Ersson: Brick Wall
In 10 games played since Christmas, Ersson is 8-2-0 and sporting a .925 save percentage with 19 goals allowed–most of those coming against the New York Rangers last week. He has been outstanding for the team and was excellent against the Devils just a couple days ago. It stands to reason he’ll get the start tonight after officially being named to Sweden’s Four Nations team, and he’ll get a chance to at back-to-back wins against the same team.
Travis Konecny: Top 10 Scorer
The Rantanen trade kind of stole Konecny’s thunder, as he was leading the Metropolitan in points until Mikko arrived in Carolina with his “25 goals” and “65 points.” TK’s still top ten in the league, though, and that’s quite impressive. What’s concerning is that he has one (1) goal in his last 10 games, and his shots per game are way down in that time as well. Is an injury hampering his ability to shoot the puck? Opponents are better at defending him? Every shot he takes gets blocked? Who knows! Just look for him to get a goal tonight and maybe get back on the 40-goal pace he was on earlier this season or, at the very least, try and crack 35.
The Flyers: Defensive Powerhouse
Two weeks ago, when the Flyers and Devils played, that was a real “90s Flyers/Devils” kind of hockey: 18 shots on goal for Philadelphia, and only 14 (!!) for New Jersey. Just a tight, heavy checking game where neither team really got all that many opportunities–which is how the Flyers have to handle the Devils, who have some high-flying, speedy top-line talents. Monday’s game opened up more, with New Jersey getting 32 shots to the Flyers’ 26, but it still didn’t feel quite that run-and-gun. Credit to the Flyers, who have played stellar defensive hockey against the Devils to this point–look for them to continue that trend tonight.
Projected Lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Anthony Richard – Scott Laughton – Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim – Jamie Drysdale
Cam York – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Erik Johnson
Sam Ersson
(Ivan Fedotov)
New Jersey Devils
Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Dawson Mercer – Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter – Justin Dowling – Brian Halonen
Tomas Tatar – Curtis Lazar – Nate Bastian
Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler – Jonathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Jake Allen
(Isaac Poulter)
Gameday Tunes
Jamie xx plays Philly this Saturday, and it should be a hoot.
Stats via Natural Stat Trick
