Overview
Coming off yet another shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators, the slumping New Jersey Devils will look to get back into the win column against the rival Philadelphia Flyers. After a fairly fast start to the season, New Jersey only has two wins in their last ten games. One of those two wins, however, did come against the Flyers, so the recipe for success is certainly there.
The Flyers also come into this game in a tailspin, having lost nine straight games and having a very hard time keeping pucks out of their own net. When you have two rivals desperately seeking a win, this game is lining up to be a very physical matchup and a battle of will.
Projected Lines
New Jersey
Forwards:
Zacha – Hischier – Bratt
Johnsson – Hughes – Sharangovich
Vesey – Mercer – Tatar
Kuokkanen – McLeod- Bastian
Defensemen:
Graves – Hamilton
Siegenthaler – Severson
Smith – Subban
Goaltenders:
Blackwood / Bernier * – no named starter yet
Philadelphia
Forwards:
Lindblom – Couturier – Konecny
Frost – Giroux – Van Riemsdyk
Laughton – Hayes – Atkinson
Willman – Brown – Macewen
Defensemen:
Provorov – Braun
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Seeler
Goaltenders:
Jones
Hart
What to Watch
Premiere of the New Jerseys
This doesn’t have all that much to do in terms of how the team will play, but finally seeing the alternate jerseys in a game is going to be interesting. Knowing how poor the team seems to do whenever they wear the infamous “Christmas” jerseys, let’s hope these don’t suffer the same fate.
Johnsson – Hughes – Sharangovich
This line was one of the most exciting to watch against Ottawa, and anytime Jack Hughes has the puck on his stick it’s becoming must see television. Add the red hot Andreas Johnsson to the mix, and a player in Sharangovich who loves ripping shots on net and it just screams multi-point night for this trio. The Flyers’ goalies are leaking goals against right now, something that New Jersey desperately needs to take advantage of.
Where to Watch
If you are able to make it to Newark, the puck drops just after 7:00 PM ET. If you aren’t able to make it to the Prudential Center, the game will be available on MSG+ and NBCSN.