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Five things to watch when the New Jersey Devils take on the Philadelphia Flyers:
1. Goaltending
Devils goaltenders have posted an .890 save percentage or worse in seven of the last nine games. While they have had a couple defensive stinkers during that stretch, they Devils have mostly played well and been submarined because they can't get a save.
There's light at the end of the tunnel – Cory Schneider should be back soon – but the Devils need Keith Kinkaid to step up and give them a couple decent starts in the meantime. If that doesn't happen, the Devils will probably be on the outside of the playoff picture by the time Schneider returns.
2. A stiff matchup for Taylor Hall
The last time the Devils took on the Flyers in Philadelphia, things didn't go so well.
While the score (3-1 Flyers) was respectable, the game wasn't all that close. The Flyers out-chanced the Devils 25-15 and won the high-danger battle 14-3(!) at 5v5.
A big reason for that was the battle between each side's best players.
Hall's line played primarily against Sean Couturier's – with Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere backing them up – and they struggled immensely.
In a little more than nine minutes of Hall vs Provorov, the Flyers out-attempted the Devils 15-6, out-chanced them 9-3, and out-scored them 2-0.
It's worth noting Hall was dealing with a hand injury at that time but it's no coincidence the Flyers did such a good job against him. The Couturier line + the Provorov pairing makes for one of the best five-man units in the NHL.
You can bet Dave Hakstol will go right back to that matchup tonight so the Hall line will have their work cut out for them.
3. An exploitable PK
You'd think the Flyers would be good killing penalties given some of the personnel they have but that's far from the case.
Despite solid shot metrics – no team allows fewer shots/60 while down a man – the Flyers rank 29th in goals allowed and 30th in goals allowed/60.
The penalty kill has been an ongoing problem all season long and is something the Devils will need to take advantage of, especially given their top players could have a tough time creating offense at full-strength.
4. Nico Hischier is due
He'll have a tough matchup, as I have already alluded to, but I think he's going to pot a goal or two sooner than later. He's long overdue.
Over the last 16 games, he ranks 3rd on the Devils in scoring chances (42) and 1st in high-danger chances (27). Despite that, he has found the back of the net just once during that stretch.
He is getting a lot of opportunities around the net. It's only a matter of time before he's rewarded.
5. Watch out for TK
The Flyers are 8-3-1 in their last 12 games and are soaring up the Eastern Conference standings as a result.
While the Flyers have quite a bit of star power, it's been Travis Konecny leading the charge offensively. He ranks 1st on the Flyers in goals (7), points (13) and scoring chances (32) during that span.
He's really coming into his own and showing why many – myself included – considered him a top-15 talent heading into the 2015 draft. I think injury concerns with his shoulder played a big role in him slipping to 24.
Here are the projected lineups:
New Jersey
Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Kyle Palmieri
Jesper Bratt - Pavel Zacha - Drew Stafford
Miles Wood - Travis Zajac - Stefan Noesen
Nick Lappin - Blake Coleman - Jimmy Hayes
Andy Greene - Ben Lovejoy
John Moore - Sami Vatanen
Will Butcher - Damon Severson
Keith Kinkaid
Philadelphia
Claude Giroux - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny
Jakub Voracek - Nolan Patrick - Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl - Scott Laughton - Jordan Weal
Jeri Lehtera - Valtteri Filppula - Dale Weise
Ivan Provorov - Shayne Gostisbehere
Robert Hagg - Andrew MacDonald
Brandon Manning - Radko Gudas
Michal Neuvirth
Puck drop is just after 7:00 p.m. Eastern and can be seen on MSG+2 and NBCSP.
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