The New Jersey Devils (28-17-6) travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers (22-22-6) on Monday night. The Devils are on a two-game winning streak after beating Montreal in overtime on Saturday while Philadelphia has lost two straight. This is the second matchup of the season between the pair of longtime rivals, with the Flyers picking up a 2-1 win at the Prudential Center last Saturday.
Match Overview
The biggest news for New Jersey in Saturday’s win is that captain Nico Hischier played just one shift after the second period. After the game, Sheldon Keefe announced that he expects Hischier to be day-to-day. The Devils, Monday morning, confirmed Hischier will miss the game against Philadelphia.
Erik Haula remains out with his foot injury, so if Hischier is unable to go, Jack Hughes and Curtis Lazar will be the only healthy centers of New Jersey’s typical four. And, as we know, Hughes is currently battling an injury of his own.
Jake Allen is likely to start once again with Jacob Markstrom out. Allen picked up the win in Montreal after taking over in relief of Markstrom on Wednesday. Allen has a .902 save percentage and a 4.75 goals saved above expected on the year.
As for Philadelphia, Scott Laughton, Ryan Poehling, and Egor Zamula are listed as day-to-day. Of that group, only Laughton took line rushes at Philadelphia’s Sunday practice, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Travis Konecny leads the Flyers with 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points. Rookie Matvei Michkov is second in all three categories with 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. Travis Sanheim’s 24 points paces the Flyers blue line.
Samuel Ersson is the Flyers starting netminder. He has posted a .891 save percentage and a -9.11 GSAx this season. Ersson made eight saves on just nine shots in the win over the Devils last week.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Check our social channels closer to puck drop to see the latest forward line combinations with Nico Hischier day-to-day.
Defensemen
Dillon – Hamilton
Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Hughes – Pesce
Goaltenders
Allen
Poulter
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards
Tippett – Frost – Konecny
Farabee – Couturier – Michkov
Foerster – Cates – Brink
Laughton – Abols – Hathaway
Defensemen
Sanheim – Drysdale
York – Ristolainen
Seeler – Johnson
Goaltenders
Ersson
Fedotov
What To Watch For
Timo Meier
With the potential absence of leading goal scorer Nico Hischier, the Devils need Timo Meier to step up with production. Luckily, since the Christmas Break, Meier has had strong underlying numbers, posting a 53.61 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%), third on the team.
However, in that same period, Meier has just one goal and six assists for seven points in 14 games. His last goal came on December 31. New Jersey needs Meier to turn those positive metrics into actual goals.
On the bright side, Meier has three assists in the last two games, and that is the level of production the Devils will need from him.
The Fourth Line
Another way the Devils can withstand a potential Hischier absence is with depth scoring. The New Jersey fourth line had a tremendous game on Saturday. The trio of Tomas Tatar, Curtis Lazar, and Nathan Bastian registered a 93.33 xGF% in over eigth minutes of five-on-five ice time together. They also managed a 4-0 edge in high-danger chances.
Of course, Tatar also added a crucial goal on a hard-working shift below the goal line. New Jersey has been desparate for depth scoring since the Christmas Break, and the fourth line may have found a meaningful spark.
Hughes, Pesce Pairing
Defensively, the Hughes-Pesce pairing led the way in Montreal. Both posted an xGF% north of 67.00 while outchancing the Canadiens 22-14 at five-on-five.
After a brief dip in underlying metrics earlier in the month, this pairing appears to be back in form.
Where To Watch
The Devils and Flyers are scheduled for 7:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick