PREVIEW: FLYERS @ DEVILS
Looking for their fourth straight win, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (10-10-5) start a weekend back-to-back set of divisional games as they head to Newark to take on John Hynes' New Jersey Devils (13-10-2). Game time at the Prudential Center is 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia.
This is the second of four meetings between the teams this season, and the first of two in Newark. The teams will rematch in Philadelphia on Feb. 13 and back in Newark on Feb. 13. On Oct. 29, the Flyers' goaltending propped them up for two periods but the Devils pulled away in the third period and added a late empty-netter to win 4-1.
Over the course of the last 20 years, the Flyers have gone through a few multi-season stretches where the Devils give them fits, regardless of the two teams' records against the rest of the league. Changes of players, coaches and general managers have not significantly altered the game optics or outcomes. In their last 14 regular season meetings with New Jersey, the Flyers are 3-11-0. That includes a 2-6-0 mark in the last eight games in New Jersey. Overall, the Flyers are 1-5-0 in the six most recent home and road meetings with the Devils.
The Flyers were last in action on Tuesday, visiting the Ottawa Senators. After this game, they head back to Philadelphia to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. The Devils are playing the second half of a back-to-back set and the final game of a three-in-four. New Jersey hosted the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, were in Raleigh on Thursday to play the Carolina Hurricanes and then returned home for this game. The Florida Panters are next on the docket, coming to Newark on Sunday.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers have won three straight games and four of their last five. The team has taken at least one point in seven of the last nine (5-2-2) games. The Flyers also bring a streak into this game of having successfully killed 21 consecutive penalties.
On Tuesday in Ottawa, the Flyers needed three separate one goal leads plus a late empty-net goal to hold off the Senators, 4-2. Shayne Gostisbehere, Evgeny Medvedev, Wayne Simmonds and Sean Couturier (empty net) scored for the Flyers. Steve Mason was very sharp in turning back 23 of 25 Ottawa shots to earn the win.
Simmonds and Couturier have both scored in back-to-back games. Along with Matt Read, the Couturier line has been the team's top forward line in recent weeks in terms of offensive zone puck possession. Over the past week, the pucks have finally started to go in the net.
Claude Giroux, who has played better than his stats indicate, leads the Flyers with eight goals, 12 assists and 20 points in 25 games. He is followed by Simmonds (six goals, 14 points), Jakub Voracek (one goal, 12 assists) and Brayden Schenn (six goals, 10 points). In nine games since his recall from the AHL, offensive-minded rookie defenseman Gostisbehere has contributed four goals (three on the power play, two in overtime), two assists and six points.
Defenseman Nick Schultz, who left Saturday's game in Madison Square Garden late in the first period with an upper-body injury. is expected to return to the lineup after missing the game in Ottawa. He will replace Radko Gudas, who is serving the first game of a three-game suspension from the NHL for a high hit on Ottawa center Mika Zibanejad.
Sam Gagner (laceration near his left eye) is expected to miss about one week from the Nov. 23 game against Carolina. He rejoined practice on Thursday. The Flyers also remain without Ryan White (suspected right shoulder injury) for a two-to-four-week period dated back to when he got injured in the third period of the Nov. 14 game in Carolina. White practiced on Thursday, along with R.J. Umberger (foot).
Defenseman Mark Streit is on long-term injured reserve for surgery to repair a displaced pubic plate. Streit is expected to miss approximately six weeks from Nov. 17. He briefly skated on Thursday for the first time since the surgery.
Devils Outlook
The Devils went 6-5-1 in November and are 1-1-0 thus far in December. The club was edged out, 2-1, in regulation by Colorado on Tuesday but rebounded on Thursday for a convincing 5-1 win over Carolina.
In the process of compiling a three-point evening, Mike Cammalleri scored a pair of goals for the Devils in Thursday's win. Adam Henrique (power -play), Stephen Gionta and Jacob Josefson scored once apiece. Backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid stopped 30 of 31 shots to earn the win. Cory Schneider is expected to return to the net to start against the Flyers.
Cammalleri leads the Devils with 26 points in 25 games, compiling nine goals and 17 assists. He is followed by Henrique (12 goals, eight assists, 20 points), Lee Stempniak (five goals, 14 assists, 19 points), Kyle Palmieri (nine goals, nine assists, 18 points) and Travis Zajac (six goals, nine assists, 15 points). Schneider has posted an 11-7-2 record over 20 starts with a 2.03 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
Patrik Elias, a career-long Flyers nemesis, rejoined the New Jersey lineup on Nov. 25th after missing the entire season up until that point. In five games, he has posted three points (one goal, two assists). In 85 career regular season games against the Flyers dating back to the 1997-98 season, Elias has struck for 37 goals (11 power play, seven game-winners, one shorthanded), 46 assists and 83 points.
Zajac sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Thursday's game. He is unavailable to play against the Flyers. Sergey Kalin, a healthy scratch in Carolina, will likely re-enter the lineup.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 1.92 (30th), Devils 2.40 (21st) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.64 (19th), Devils 2.32 (7th) 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 30/37, Devils 32/37 Power play efficiency: Flyers 15.6% (27th), Devils 20.4% (4th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 81.2% (13th), Devils 85.1% (4th) Shots per game: Flyers 30.6 (10th), Devils 25.9 (30th) Shots against per game: Flyers 32.5 (29th), Devils 28.0 (5th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.1% (14th), Devils 48.6% (25th)
Projected lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
Flyers
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 10 Brayden Schenn 24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 17 Wayne Simmonds 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 93 Jakub Voracek 21 Scott Laughton - 52 Nick Cousins - 36 Colin McDonald
15 Michael Del Zotto - 22 Luke Schenn 55 Nick Schultz - 82 Evgeny Medvedev 23 Brandon Manning - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
30 Michal Neuvirth [35 Steve Mason]
Scratches: Vincent Lecavalier (healthy), R.J. Umberger (foot), Mark Streit (LTIR, displaced pubic plate), Ryan White (IR, shoulder), Sam Gagner (lacerations near left eye), Radko Gudas (NHL suspension).
Devils
13 Mike Cammalleri - 14 Adam Henrique - 20 Lee Stempniak 26 Patrik Elias - 51 Sergey Kalinin - 21 Kyle Palmieri 25 Stefan Matteau - 16 Jacob Josefson - 48 Tyler Kennedy 18 Brian O'Neill - 11 Stephen Gionta - 22 Jordin Tootoo
6 Andy Greene - 5 Adam Larsson 2 John Moore - 28 Damon Severson 8 David Schlemko - 7 Jon Merrill
35 Cory Schneider [1 Keith Kinkaid]
Scratches: Eric Gelinas (healthy), Bobby Farnham (healthy), Travis Zajac (upper body), Tuomo Ruutu (IR, upper body), Jiri Tlusty (IR, upper body), Ryane Clowe (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).