Flyers-Devils: Game 54 Preview
The Flyers continued their recent run of success by taking care of business against the last place team in the NHL with a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. On Thursday night, they will get one more game against a team near the bottom of the standings before the battle against top teams in the league resumes.
The New Jersey Devils come to town on Thursday night, as the Flyers look for their third straight win and fifth in the last six games. The Flyers are also looking to extend a five-game points streak.
The Devils have a very different look since their last meeting against the Flyers in early November. They underwent a coaching change and traded away a top scorer. Additionally, they will be without forward Nico Hischier and defenseman Sami Vatanen for Thursday's game, leaving them shorthanded in the lineup.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | New Jersey Devils | GP | G | A | P |
Sean Couturier | 53 | 13 | 33 | 46 | Kyle Palmieri | 48 | 19 | 16 | 35 |
Travis Konecny | 50 | 17 | 27 | 44 | Nico Hischier | 46 | 13 | 19 | 32 |
Jake Voracek | 53 | 11 | 29 | 40 | Nikita Gusev | 49 | 9 | 22 | 31 |
Claude Giroux | 53 | 13 | 22 | 35 | Blake Coleman | 52 | 19 | 10 | 29 |
Kevin Hayes | 53 | 17 | 15 | 32 | Sami Vatanen | 47 | 6 | 19 | 25 |
Player to Watch | |
13 Kevin Hayes | 21 Kyle Palmieri |
Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, +5 | Last 5 Games: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P, +1 |
Projected Goalie Matchup | |
37 Brian Elliott | 29 Mackenzie Blackwood |
26 GP, 13-5-4, 2.81 GAA, .903 SV% | 37 GP, 15-12-7, 3.00 GAA, .904 SV% |
It wasn't a busy game for Brian Elliott, but he stopped all 16 shots that came his way to record his second shutout in the previous two weeks on Monday night against Detroit. Carter Hart is nearing a return, but with Elliott playing so well, there is no rush to put him back in net, so Elliott gets back in goal for the Flyers on Thursday.
Mackenzie Blackwood makes his first start in a week, his last coming on Jan. 30 in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators. Blackwood has just one win in his last five starts. He took the loss to the Flyers on Nov. 1 in a shootout, allowing three goals on 31 shots in regulation and the only goal of the shootout.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Joel Farabee (illness, day-to-day), Carter Hart (lower right abdominal, day-to-day), Nolan Patrick (migrane disorder, out indefinitely), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma, out for season)
Scratches: Robert Hagg
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
25 James van Riemsdyk | 28 Claude Giroux | 11 Travis Konecny |
12 Michael Raffl | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
21 Scott Laughton | 13 Kevin Hayes | 18 Tyler Pitlick |
10 Andy Andreoff | 82 Connor Bunnaman | 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 15 Matt Niskanen | |
6 Travis Sanheim | 5 Phil Myers | |
53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 61 Justin Braun | |
Goalie | ||
37 Brian Elliott | 34 Alex Lyon |
Lineup Notes
Shayne Gostisbehere makes his return to the lineup and Robert Hagg will come out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. Joel Farabee will not play due to illness, so the Flyers have called up Andy Andreoff from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to enter the lineup in his place.
Devils Projected Lineup
Injuries: Nico Hischier, Sami Vatanen
Scratches: Colton White
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
63 Jesper Bratt | 86 Jack Hughes | 21 Kyle Palmieri |
20 Blake Coleman | 19 Travis Zajac | 97 Nikita Gusev |
44 Miles Wood | 37 Pavel Zacha | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
14 Joey Anderson | 16 Kevin Rooney | 15 John Hayden |
Defense | ||
6 Andy Greene | 76 P.K. Subban | |
25 Mirco Mueller | 28 Damon Severson | |
8 Will Butcher | 5 Connor Carrick | |
Goalie | ||
29 Mackenzie Blackwood | 70 Louis Domingue |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (17th), Devils (27th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (14th), Devils (18th)
- Recent History vs. Devils
- Oct. 9, 2019 - Flyers 4, Devils 0 (at PHI)
- Nov. 1, 2019 - Flyers 4, Devils 3 (F/SO) (at NJ)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Devils
- Claude Giroux - 50 GP, 11 G, 35 A, 46 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 33 GP, 14 G, 10 A, 24 P
- Jake Voracek - 40 GP, 7 G, 22 A, 29 P
- Kevin Hayes - 19 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 P
- Brian Elliott - 11 GP, 6-5-0, 2.57 GAA, .898 SV%
- Milestone Watch
- Jake Voracek will play in his 900th NHL game tonight.
- Ivan Provorov will play in his 300th NHL game tonight.
- Shayne Gostisbehere needs one point to reach 200 for his career.
- Claude Giroux needs three points to reach 800 for his career.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.