- Philadelphia Flyers: 16-22-6 (38 pts)
- New Jersey Devils: 16-20-7 (39 pts)
Coming off their first win in a while, the Flyers look to ride the momentum against their turnpike rivals the New Jersey Devils at 1pm on NBCSports Philadelphia. After losing eight in a row, the Flyers won their previous match against the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Thursday night. The last matchup against the Devils was on the 15th of November as we got shutout 3-0 at home. Two teams that are in the bottom five of the league are both looking to gather up some wins. Is this another battle for who can land the 1st overall pick?
Some news before todays game as the Flyers make a trade. They send center Jordan Weal to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2019 6th round pick and defenseman Jacob Graves. Graves is playing for the Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL and has 7 points in 32 games. He has been assigned to the Flyers ECHL affiliate the Reading Royals. Weal, who was struggling to be in the lineup consistently, will get a fresh start in Arizona. Over his time with the Flyers, totaled 42 points in 124 games played.
Starting Goalies:
- Carter Hart: Coming off a great performance against Dallas, Hart looks to continue his outstanding play in New Jersey. Hart is 3-4-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .920 SV% on the season.
- Keith Kinkaid: After a strong start to the season, Kinkaid has cooled off. He is 13-13-6 with a .899 SV% and 3 shutouts, one coming against the Flyers. Kinkaid has been good when playing against the Flyers, so look for him to be on his game.
Players to Watch:
- James van Riemsdyk: Coming off one of his better performances of the season, van Riemsdyk looks to put consistent points on the board. On Thursday against Dallas, he tallied 1G and 1A for 2 points. When van Riemsdyk is playing on the 1st line, he seems to have more chemistry with Giroux and Konecny.
- Blake Coleman: In his past four games, Coleman has potted in 3 goals. The Devils in total have scored seven goals in their past four games. Coleman is riding the hot hand.
Keys to the game:
- Score Early: Kinkaid like to play against the Flyers, get to him early and make the Devils chase the game.
- Power Play: The past few games our set up on the power play has been decent. The puck will eventually start going in if we keep getting good looks.
By: Amedeo Grassia (@bud0522)
Sources: NHL.com
mynhltraderumors.com
nbcsports.com
dailyfaceoff.com
brotherlypuck.com 