*stats based on playoffs.
Match-up - Flyers (47 wins, 103 points) @ Devils (48 wins, 102 points)
Road/Home records - 25-13-3 -------------- 24-13-4
TV - NBCSN (HD), CBC (HD), RDS (HD)
Puck drop - 7:30 PM ET
Series score - Devils lead 2-1
Projected starting goalies - Ilya Bryzgalov (PHI) @ Martin Brodeur (NJ)
Battle of the stats
Goals for/against per game *
Philadelphia - 4.22 / 4.11
New Jersey - 2.90 / 2.50
Powerplay/Penalty Kill percentage *
Philadelphia - 35.9% / 71%
New Jersey - 20.6% / 74.4%
Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Flyers:
James van Reimsdyk - Claude Giroux - Wayne Simmonds
Scott Hartnell - Danny Briere - Jakub Voracek
Matt Read - Brayden Schenn - Jaromir Jagr
Zac Rinaldo - Max Talbot - Eric Wellwood
Matt Carle - Kimmo Timonen
Nick Grossmann - Braydon Coburn
Andreas Lilja - Erik Gustafsson
Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Devils:
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Travis Zajac - Ilya Kovalchuk
Zach Parise - Patrik Elias - David Clarkson
Petr Sykora - Adam Henrique - Dainius Zubrus
Tim Sestito - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Bryce Salvador- Marek Zidlicky
Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Anton Volchenkov - Adam Larsson
Notes: Martin Brodeur will start...Cam Janssen, Eric Boulton, and Peter Harrold are expected to sit as healthy scratches...Tim Sestito will draw in for Ryan Carter.
Flyers to watch out for:
James van Reimsdyk - He had a goal and five shots in the first game of the series, and has just one assist, two shots and a minus-2 rating in his last two. The numbers are by no means horrific, but they will need to improve if the Flyers want to win this series considering how banged up some of their top guys are.
Scott Hartnell - He has been dealing with a lower-body injury throughout the series which has really hurt his production. One can only believe he won't be much more effective, if at all, now that he's been separated from Giroux.
Zac Rinaldo - The Flyers seem mentally drained right now and they could really use a some sort of spark. It will be Rinaldo's job to provide it.
Devils to watch out for:
Ilya Kovalchuk - He was outstanding in the Devils 4-3 overtime win in Game 3 as he scored and tallied two assists while playing with a herniated disc. Will he be able to put forth a similar effort tonight?
Alexei Ponikarovsky - He had an assist and the game winning goal in Game 3. If he plays like he did in Game 3 again tonight the Devils will be in great shape.
Martin Brodeur - He has by no means been bad in this series, but there is room for improvement. If the Devils play like they have since the start of Game 2 and Brodeur can clean up his game a little bit, they will be in a good position to take a 3-1 series lead.
Keys to the game
Philadelphia - Don't let up
In back-to-back games the Flyers have scored the first goal and lost the game. They've struggled to hold onto leads all throughout the playoffs, and if that doesn't change they'll likely be golfing soon. The Flyers need to come out with a purpose, and if they score the first goal, or couple of goals, they need to keep doing what they did to gain the lead. They can't let up.
New Jersey - Get timely saves early
The Flyers are going to come out flying and they will likely generate quite a few good scoring chances early. If Martin Brodeur can make a few solid stops until the Devils can get their feet underneath them they'll be in good shape.
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