Game Preview #65: New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers

Today is a must-win.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (33-25-6) at the Philadelphia Flyers (27-29-8).

The Time: 1:00 PM

The Broadcast: TV — TNT

Glass, Sprong, and Cholowski

After the Devils’ debacle at home against the Jets, Sheldon Keefe wasted no time inserting Tom Fitzgerald’s deadline pickups into the lineup. Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong should make their Devils debut tonight on the third line together, with Erik Haula playing left wing for them, pushing Paul Cotter and Justin Dowling out of the lineup. Meanwhile, Simon Nemec will be watching today’s game from the press box, as his mistakes against Winnipeg were too much for anyone to bear — and Keefe was not happy with him in his postgame comments.

I am looking forward to seeing Glass and Sprong on a line together, as their proficiencies complement each other. Glass is known as a very good defensive center, while defense is the thing that largely holds Sprong back (though, statistically, Sprong isn’t really a defensive anchor) from getting an NHL role. I am not sure what Erik Haula will provide to that line, though, and I think Tomas Tatar is more deserving of the higher spot in the lineup. You can see those lines below.

I hope that this lineup proves more difficult for opponents to lock down, as having all of Meier, Hischier, and Bratt on the top line the past couple games did not work out for the team very well. Against a weaker team like Philadelphia, at least, guys down the lineup should be able to contribute more. Nate Bastian, for example, is historically at his best when playing against the Flyers.

It is also somewhat unfortunate that tonight is the night Nemec got himself benched, as a team like Philadelphia should be an ideal group to give him more minutes against. But Dennis Cholowski should be able to handle a third-pairing role just fine, With the Islanders, Cholowski was having the best season of his career, limiting expected goals and real goals against much more effectively than earlier in his career.

The Flyers Are Much Worse

The Philadelphia Flyers did not have a fun deadline. Longtime Flyers center Scott Laughton was shipped off to Toronto for a 2027 first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin, a Russian winger prospect who is in his first AHL season. They also sent Erik Johnson back to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a goon in Givani Smith. And one player fans hoped would take off there — Andrei Kuzmeko, was sent to Los Angeles for a 2027 third-round pick.

Are these moves best for their long-term outlook? Absolutely. But they are much worse for not having Laughton, and Kuzmenko was a big threat, offensively. With five points in his first seven games as a Flyer, Kuzmenko was scoring at what would have been the third-best scoring pace on the team, just behind Matvei Michkov. And Laughton might not be as effective as he once was, but the Flyers are now without him and Morgan Frost, who was traded earlier this season with Joel Farabee to Calgary (which got them, in part, Kuzmenko).

The Devils have to be ruthless this afternoon. The Flyers are likely to bring a bunch of grinders and goons to the game — Nic Deslauriers is back from his injury and has been in the lineup of late. Without much of a hope of scoring goals, though, Philadelphia is going to be throwing a lot of hits. That said, is today a day for Kurtis MacDermid? I think that the Flyers have little talent, so dressing MacDermid probably would not be an issue. However, with the Devils struggling to score without Jack Hughes, I doubt Keefe goes that route. The Devils are going to have to rely on guys like Brenden Dillon, Stefan Noesen, and Timo Meier making themselves known physical presences in the game while staying focused within the offensive attack.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of today’s game? Do you think the Devils will win? Will you be watching? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.