After a dominant 5-0 win over the Sabres yesterday, the New Jersey Devils (16-7-1, 1st Metropolitan) will take on the Philadelphia Flyers (13-7-3, 3rd Metropolitan) Saturday tonight at the Prudential Center.
Overview
The Devils have come back strong with three wins in a row after losing three in a row last week. Friday’s win against Buffalo showed that the Devils can overcome their key weaknesses, not just play around them. Jake Allen was, of course, the star, and his shutout effort was a breath of fresh air for an oft-struggling goaltender tandem. They also received depth offense from Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat, who each had two points. New Jersey will look to carry over that momentum into a key divisional matchup with the Flyers.
The Flyers are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders Friday. Trevor Zegras put in a solid effort, netting a goal in regulation and the shootout. Philadelphia is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games and is firmly in the Eastern Conference race. The Flyers were projected to be a basement-dwelling team this season, but they’ve exceeded those expectations so far. The Flyers beat the Devils 6-3 last Saturday, a performance they’ll hope to repeat tonight.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Bratt
Palat-Mercer-Gritsyuk
Cotter-Glass-Brown
Lammikko-Glendening-Noesen
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Hughes-Nemec
Dillion-White
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Flyers-
Forwards
Foerster-Cates-Konecny
Zegras-Dvorak-Tippett
Michkov-Couturier-Brink
Grebenkin-Abols-Hathaway
Defense
York-Sanheim
Andrae-Drysdale
Seeler-Juulsen
Goalies
Vladar
Ersson
Keys to the Game
Vladar Retakes Control
The Flyers can thank goaltender Dan Vladar for their success this season. Through 14 games played, Vladar has a .914 save percentage and 11.15 goals saved above expected (GSAx). The latter figure ranks ninth in the NHL.
Samuel Ersson tended the twine for Philly Friday and against the Lightning on Monday, earning a .903 and .882 SV%, respectively, in those games. With as weak a scoring offense as Philadelphia has, having their number one in net in the second game of a back-to-back is huge.
Both Teams on Back-to-Backs
Nobody likes playing a back-to-back, but thankfully, both teams are on one Saturday. This means that neither team will have the advantage of fresher legs. Both teams elected to play their backup goaltenders Friday, and both came out with wins. Now, both teams will hope their skaters have enough energy and their starters can lock in to sweep their back-to-backs.
Where to Watch
Saturday’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 7:00 pm ET.