New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers - Odds and Predictions

Where: Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA.

When: Thursday, February 6, 7 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): NBC Sports Philadelphia, MS+2 | WFAN

Head Coach: Alain Nasreddine{All-Time 9-11-6 NJD}

Coming off of a 3-0 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the New Jersey Devils have now dropped three games in a row and are just 3-4-3 over their last ten games.

If that weren’t bad enough, they head into this divisional matchup sitting dead last in the Metro division and are suffering from injuries.

Offense

There’s no beating around the bush here: the Devils are one of the worst teams in the NHL right now. First of all, they have the fifth-fewest goals scored this season, sitting with just a combined 134 tallies.

The team has just 26 power-play goals this season and their power play percentage (at 14.77 percent) is the fourth-worst in the NHL.

Their power-play unit has also allowed for eight short-handed goals to be scored against them this season. That’s the second-most in the league.

New Jersey has the 11th-lowest shot total and an abysmal 8.3 combined shooting percentage this season.

They also can’t win faceoffs. The Devils are currently ranked 29th in the faceoff circle with just a 47.1 percent success rate.

Defense

Things just get worse for the Devils defensively.

Only the Detroit Red Wings have allowed more goals against this season as New Jersey has allowed a total of 180 goals against this year.

They will also be at a disadvantage on special teams. Their penalty kill ranks 18th in the league (one of their higher statistics) but the Devils take way too many penalties per game, averaging just over ten minutes.

They have allowed 35 power-play goals against this season.

The Devils also give up a lot of shots, and that will just get worse without Sami Vatanen in the lineup.

New Jersey has allowed the 16th-most shots against this season and an average of 31.8 against per game. The team has a combined save percentage of .889 – the second-worst in the NHL this season.

Goaltending

It is expected that “goalie of the future” MacKenzie Blackwood will get the start for New Jersey Thursday night. Blackwood has put together a season record of 15-12-7. He has a 3.00 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage with one shutout to his credit.

Philadelphia Flyers (Home)

Head Coach: Alain Vigneault{All-Time 677-452-35-105 PHI, NYR, VAN, MTL}

Currently sitting in fifth place in the Metro division, the Flyers are coming off of a 2-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Red Wings – their second win in a row. The Flyers are now 7-2-1 in their last ten games and even their mascot Gritty has been acquitted of assault charges. So, good week all around for the club!

Offense

The Flyers come into this game with many advantages and it starts with puck possession. The Flyers have an incredible advantage when it comes to starting the play with possession due to their incredible faceoff percentage. Ranked first in the league, the Flyers have a percentage of 53.8 in the faceoff dot this season.

They have scored 162 goals this season (the 14th-most in the league), 124 of those coming at even strength. The team’s power play ranks at 15th in the NHL and the team has scored 34 times with the man advantage.

Philadelphia is 16th in shots on goal and possesses a team shooting percentage of 9.9 percent. Shots on goal is the only major statistic in which the Flyers rank below the Devils – by one spot.

Defense

Defensively, despite nagging injuries, the Flyers are a lot better than many may think. For starters, no team has allowed fewer goals this season than the Flyers – not even Carolina. Philadelphia allows an average of just 28.8 shots against per game.

Unfortunately, they have had goaltending issues this season, which seems to be an ongoing thorn in the side of the Flyers team.

Philly has a team save percentage of just .901 and they have allowed 152 goals against. Not the worst, but definitely not the best.

On special teams, Philly will have the edge as they take significantly less penalties than New Jersey (they average 7.5 minutes per game in the box).

They also have the 14th-ranked penalty kill with an 81.3 percent.

Goaltending

The key figure in the shutout win over the Red Wings, goalie Brian Elliott is once again expected to start when his team takes on the Devils.

The shutout was Elliott’s second of the season and 40th of his career. He has a season record of 13-5-4, a 2.81 GAA, and a .903 save percentage.

Last Head-to-Head

It was back on November 1, 2019, when these two teams last met and it was the Philadelphia Flyers who came out victorious. The Flyers defeated the Devils by a final score of 4-3.

What’s at Stake?

This is Philadelphia’s game to lose. They have made up significant ground in the standings over their last ten games and are once again within the league’s top-ten. They are fifth in their division but currently hold the second wildcard spot for the Eastern Conference.

Two more points against the Devils will tie them with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the third-place position in the Metropolitan division. The Devils sit dead last in the same division and there is little to no hope of that changing before the season’s end.

Questions to Answer

How big of a role will injuries play? Already a dismantled team, New Jersey is now without two key players in defenseman Sami Vatanen and forward Nico Hischier. Will the Flyers pounce?

On the other side, will the Devils be able to capitalize on Philadelphia’s current injuries and put up a more competitive fight than some would think? The Flyers are still without key players such as goalie Carter Hart and defenseman Oskar Lindblom.

Can the Flyers use their faceoff prowess to their advantage and start the majority of plays with total puck control against a team that ranks 29th in the faceoff circle?

D Sami Vatanen – OUT (undisclosed)

F Nico Hischier – OUT (knee)

Philadelphia Flyers Injury Report

D Samuel Morin – DL (knee)

D Shayne Gostisbehere – day-to-day (knee)

G Carter Hart – OUT (abdomen)

F Oskar Lindblom – DL (illness)

F Nolan Patrick – IR/NR (head)

New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers Odds

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