Matchup
After back-to-back losses to the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders, it’s a perfect time for round three against the struggling Philadelphia Flyers. Philadelphia is coming into this one off wins against Vegas and the Arizona Coyotes. However, the Flyers are incredibly flawed and a beatable opponent.
Lines and Pairings
Devils’
Check our social media pages around puck drop for the most updated lines. Expect the lineup to be a bit shaken up due to all of the Covid issues.
Flyers’
Forwards:
Laughton – Couturier – Konecny
Frost – Giroux – Atkinson
Willman – Hayes – Van Riemsdyk
Lindblom – Brown – Macewan
Defensemen:
Provorov – Braun
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Connauton
Goaltenders:
Hart
Jones
What to Watch
Short-handed Chances Against
Currently the league average for shorthanded goals against is two. New Jersey has given up four thus far and seemingly give up one or two ‘Grade A’ chances against per game. Where exactly these breakdowns in communication are coming from is hard to pinpoint, but it certainly is a trend that cannot continue moving forward. Having to worry about giving up a goal during a situation that is supposed to be an advantage is extremely concerning.
Getting Timely Goaltending
Things may have gotten a bit rocky between the pipes as of late, but overall goaltending hasn’t been quite as big of an issue as it has appeared. One area, however, that does stand out is how often other teams are capitalizing on their “high danger chances”. While playing at even strength, the Devils have created 176 high-danger chances for and capitalized on 22 of them, which sits at an 11.1% conversion rate compared to the league average 11.3% conversion rate. Not a bad percentage in general compared to the rest of the league.
The issues arises when looking at the high-danger numbers against at even strength. The Devils have given up 157 high-danger chances against (league average is 172) and 29 of those chances have become goals (league average is 22.) This means teams are converting 15.6% of the time on their high-danger opportunities, compared to the league average of 11.4%.
So, overall the Devils give up fewer high danger chances at even strength, yet teams are converting on them at a noticeably higher rate when the opportunity arises. A lot of this is why it seems like anytime the Devils make a mistake it leads to a goal against. They are called ‘high-danger chances’ for a reason, but if the Devils are going to be competitive moving forward they are going to need the goalie to bail them out at a better rate than they currently are getting.
Where to Watch
Tomorrow nights’ game will be viewable on MSG and NBCSN starting at 7:00 pm EST.
Odds For Tonight’s Game
The money line odds for the Devils’ tonight are +110 against the Philadelphia Flyers, courtesy of Betway.com. Tonight’s over under goal matchup is set at 5.5 goals.