Flyers-Devils: Game 12 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Flyers trip to Pittsburgh was, in a word, embarrassing. They followed up a dismal 5-3 loss to the Islanders on Sunday night with a 7-1 loss to the Penguins that was over before it started.

With two straight losses following a three-game winning streak, the Flyers made some roster adjustments and look to get back on the winning track against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P New Jersey Devils GP G A P
Travis Konecny 11 6 7 13 Taylor Hall 10 1 8 9
Jake Voracek 11 4 5 9 Kyle Palmieri 10 6 1 7
Oskar Lindblom 11 6 2 8 Pavel Zacha 9 2 4 6
Kevin Hayes 11 4 3 7 Sami Vatanen 10 3 3 6
Claude Giroux  11 2 5 7 Jesper Bratt 9 3 2 5
 
Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux 21 Kyle Palmieri
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, +6 Last 5 Games: 4 G, 0 A, 4 P, E
 
Claude Giroux finally got on the board in Chicago last week with his first goal of the season and added another one late against the Islanders, but the top line has been mostly ineffective. Alain Vigneault specifically named Giroux as a player that the team needs more from, so look for the Flyers captain to be more involved.
 
Kyle Palmieri is starting to heat up, posting a hat trick in his last game. The noted Flyers killer has 11 career goals against Philadelphia.
 
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart 29 Mackenzie Blackwood
7 GP, 2-3-1, 3.32 GAA, .864 SV% 6 GP, 2-2-2, 3.31 GAA, .871 SV%

Carter Hart's last start was another rough one, allowing five goals on 14 shots before being pulled against the Islanders. Hart did get some time in relief against the Penguins, playing the third period and stopping eight of nine shots. He gets a chance to bounce back and get back to form against the team he shut out on Oct. 9.

Mackenzie Blackwood gets the start for the Devils. His last outing was a rough one, allowing four goals on 16 shots to the Coyotes in a loss on Oct. 25. Prior to that, Blackwood had two solid games, posting a 25-save shutout against Vancouver on Oct. 19 and making 29 saves on 31 shots in a win over the Rangers on Oct. 17.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick, Scott Laughton

Scratches: Tyler Pitlick, Robert Hagg

Left Wing Center Right Wing
25 James van Riemsdyk 28 Claude Giroux 93 Jake Voracek
23 Oskar Lindblom 14 Sean Couturier 11 Travis Konecny
12 Michael Raffl 13 Kevin Hayes 49 Joel Farabee
81 Carsen Twarynski 50 German Rubtsov 44 Chris Stewart
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 15 Matt Niskanen  
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 61 Justin Braun  
6 Travis Sanheim 5 Phil Myers  
Goalie    
79 Carter Hart 37 Brian Elliott  

Lineup Notes

Following Thursday's roster moves, the Flyers will bring Carsen Twarynski into the lineup on the fourth line. German Rubtsov makes his NHL debut centering the fourth line. Defensively, Phil Myers re-joins the lineup, playing on a pair with Travis Sanheim. Shayne Gostisbehere will play with Justin Braun. Tyler Pitlick and Robert Hagg come out of the lineup.

Devils Projected Lineup

Injuries: Connor Carrick

Scratches: Jesper Boqvist, Nikita Gusev, Mirco Mueller

Left Wing Center Right Wing
9 Taylor Hall 86 Jack Hughes 21 Kyle Palmieri
37 Pavel Zacha 13 Nico Hischier 63 Jesper Bratt
 20 Blake Coleman 19 Travis Zajac 17 Wayne Simmonds
44 Miles Wood 16 Kevin Rooney  15 John Hayden
Defense    
28 Damon Severson 76 P.K. Subban  
6 Andy Greene 45 Sami Vatanen  
8 Will Butcher 7 Matt Tennyson  
Goalie    
29 Mackenzie Blackwood 35 Cory Schneider  

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (T-11th), Devils (26th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (5th), Devils (T-25th)
  • Recent History vs. Devils
    • Oct. 20, 2018 – Flyers 5, Devils 2 (at PHI)
    • Nov. 16, 2018 – Devils 3, Flyers 0 (at PHI)
    • Jan. 12, 2019 – Devils 3, Flyers 2 (at NJ)
    • March 1, 2019 – Flyers 6, Devils 3 (at NJ)
    • Oct. 9, 2019 – Flyers 4, Devils 0 (at PHI)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Devils
    • Claude Giroux – 49 GP, 11 G, 35 A, 46 P
    • James van Riemsdyk – 32 GP, 14 G, 10 A, 24 P
    • Jake Voracek – 39 GP, 7 G, 22 A, 29 P
    • Kevin Hayes – 18 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 P
    • Carter Hart – 2 GP, 1-1-0, 1.54 GAA, .941 SV%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Jake Voracek needs one goal to reach 200 for his career.
    • Kevin Hayes needs four goals to reach 100 for his career.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN

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