Flyers-Devils: Game 36 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

After two games away from the win column, the Flyers returned on Wednesday night with a big shootout win over the Washington Capitals.

A holiday break isn't here just yet for the Orange and Black, as they have one more game on Thursday night before taking their first real extended break of the season, five days off between games. The Flyers make their first trip to New Jersey this season to see the Devils for the first time.

The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.

Flyers Leaders GP G A P Devils Leaders GP G A P
Jake Voracek 35 11 24 35 Travis Zajac 32 8 15 23
Claude Giroux 35 10 21 31 Taylor Hall 24 8 12 20
Wayne Simmonds 35 16 13 29 Michael Cammalleri 26 9 9 18
Brayden Schenn 32 9 12 21 Adam Henrique 32 7 10 17
Travis Konecny 35 4 12 16 Damon Severson 32 3 14 17
 
Player to Watch
17 Wayne Simmonds 9 Taylor Hall
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, +1 Last 5 Games: 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, -6
 
Wayne Simmonds didn't officially get on the score sheet with his shootout winner on Wednesday, but that could be a spark for him after going three straight games without a point. 
 
It's been a rough go of late for Taylor Hall, but the forward was off to a good start on the season before an injury kept him out for three weeks. Upon his return, Hall scored in three of his first four games back and had a four-game point streak, but has gone five games without a point entering Thursday's game.
 
Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason 35 Cory Schneider
13-9-3, 2.68 GAA, .908 SV% 9-10-5, 2.93 GAA, .904 SV%

Dave Hakstol is known to ride the hot hand, and after a shootout win on Wednesday night, Steve Mason is back in net to make his fifth straight start. 

Cory Schneider gets the start for New Jersey. It's been a rough few games for Schneider lately. He has allowed at least four goals in three of his last four starts, all losses. His last win came on Dec. 6, when he stopped 22 shots against Vancouver.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Boyd Gordon, Nick Schultz, Sean Couturier, Michal Neuvirth, Matt Read, Mark Streit

Left Wing Center Right Wing
12 Michael Raffl 28 Claude Giroux 93 Jake Voracek
11 Travis Konecny 10 Brayden Schenn 17 Wayne Simmonds
76 Chris VandeVelde 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 13 Roman Lyubimov
58 Taylor Leier 25 Nick Cousins 22 Dale Weise
Defense    
3 Radko Gudas 15 Michael Del Zotto  
47 Andrew MacDonald 9 Ivan Provorov  
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 23 Brandon Manning  
Goalie    
35 Steve Mason    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (5th, 9th on road), Devils (25th, 14th at home)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (9th, 12th on road), Devils (10th, 27th at home) 
  • Recent History vs. Devils
    • Feb. 16, 2016 - The Flyers claimed a 6-3 win over the Devils in New Jersey. The Devils struck first with a goal from Tyler Kennedy at 12:01 on the power play. Shayne Gostisbehere tied the game with a goal for his 13th straight game with a point. The Flyers grabbed the lead midway through the second on Brayden Schenn's 17th goal of the season. Jordin Tootoo tied the game at 9:24 of the third, but the Flyers grabbed the lead back at 12:22 on a power-play goal by Wayne Simmonds. Just 50 seconds later, Nick Cousins added a goal to put the Flyers ahead by two. Jake Voracek scored to essentially ice the game with 2:48 to play, but the Devils did add a late goal by Kyle Palmieri to keep it interesting before Ryan White capped the scoring with an empty-net goal.
    • Feb. 13, 2016 – The Devils defeated the Flyers, 2-1, in overtime in Philadelphia. The Devils opened the scoring on a goal by Joseph Blandisi at 6:43 of the first. The goal held up until early in the third, when Shayne Gostisbehere tied an NHL rookie record by picking up a point for the 11th straight game with the game-tying goal. A power play in overtime allowed the Devils to claim the win, as Adam Henrique scored the game-winning goal at 2:58 of the extra session.
  • Flyers leaders vs. Devils
    • Claude Giroux – 35 games, 9 goals, 25 assists, 34 points
    • Wayne Simmonds - 27 games, 10 goals, 7 assists, 17 points
    • Shayne Gostisbehere - 3 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points
    • Steve Mason - 8 games, 0-7-0, 3.70 GAA, .861 Sv%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Shayne Gostisbehere will play in his 100th NHL game on Thursday night.

Where to Watch
TV: TCN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

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