Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils

The Essentials

Matchup: Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils

Date: January 29th, 2025

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Broadcast: TNT, truTV, MAX

Listen: Devils Hockey Network

The Last Devils Game: New Jersey lost to Philadelphia on Monday night 4-2. It was a frustrating game where the Devils struggled to generate offense against the Flyers. New Jersey got off the mat when Timo Meier scored with the extra attacker to make it a one-goal game in the waning minutes of the third period but could not complete the comeback. If you missed that game, check out the recap.

Recent Momentum: The Flyers have won three of their last five games, two of which were against the Devils. Philadelphia has won six of the previous ten games. The Devils had won two in a row before Monday night. New Jersey has won three of the last eight games. The Devils are third in the Metropolitan Division, while the Flyers are sixth.

Lineups

Philadelphia Flyers

Based on Natural Stat Trick’s report from Monday’s game, here are the projected lines and pairings for the Flyers.

Forwards

Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny

Joel Farabee - Scott Laughton - Matvei Michkov

Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink

Anthony Richard - Rodrigo Abols - Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen

Travis Sanheim - Jamie Drysdale

Cam York - Rasmus Ristolainen

Nick Seeler - Erik Johnson

Goalies

Samuel Ersson

Ivan Fedotov

Injury Note: Sean Couturier missed Monday’s game with an illness but would likely take Scott Laughton’s spot on the second line if he returns.

New Jersey Devils

Per Amanda Stein, New Jersey started the following lines and pairings on Monday night.

Injury Note: Nate Bastian is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury following the Seeler hit on Monday. If Bastian cannot play, I expect Kurtis MacDermid to fill in. Nico Hischier also remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

What to Watch For

Must Get Shots Through

Head coach Sheldon Keefe and the team should know what to expect to enter the season’s third and final game against Philly. The Flyers will look to clog the ice to prevent zone entries and pack the house to block shots. In the two games against the Devils this season, the Flyers have blocked 59 shots (33 in game one and 26 in game two). According to StatMuse, the Flyers block 18.31 shots per game to lead the NHL. New Jersey must find a way to get shots through to the net. On Monday, Timo Meier scored from the perimeter on a one-timer that Philly couldn’t block. More on Meier in a minute, but that will work. Dougie Hamilton is the only defenseman consistently able to get shots through, and he usually does so with wrist shots. Hamilton recorded four shots on Monday, whereas four other Devils blue-liners tallied one shot each. Even in the first matchup against Philly, Dougie was among the few players to tally more than one shot on net. It doesn’t have to be the big slapper or the perfect shot, but the puck has to hit the net. That only happens if these shots are taken before an opponent can challenge or get in position to block the shot. I’d like to see a better effort from the other defensemen to take those shots, allowing more Devils to compete for positioning and rebounds at the net front.

Meier Needs to Shoot

Since the start of the struggles following the holiday break, Meier is a distant sixth on the team in shots with 128 shots. Luke Hughes has recorded 13 more shots than Meier during that period. From November 23rd through December 23rd, Meier recorded 153 shots. The entire team took more shots and was playing well during that month. During those 14 games beginning in mid-November, Meier scored six goals and accumulated 13 points. I understand that when the team is playing well, and you have the hot hand, the shots will flow more freely, but the Devils need it now. Timo scored late on Monday and had one of the few dangerous shots on a Devils power play. Meier has a lethal shot when he lets it go, and I’d like to see Timo shoot more, especially during the team’s current scoring slump.

More Effort and Execution

Sheldon Keefe summed it up in his postgame comments when he was asked what he was looking for by changing the defensive pairings mid-game (per James Nichols at MSN). Keefe responded, “Just play better.” The People Who Matter are looking for the same. What the Flyers will bring to the table on Wednesday is no secret. The Devils need to clean up the breakouts and passing plays through the neutral zone (and all zones). They must find ways to win the puck battles deep in the offensive zone. Jesper Bratt emphasized simplifying the game with chip-ins and winning the board battles. The players know what they need to do, so it comes down to execution. Hopefully, the team can execute an improved game plan on Wednesday.