The Philadelphia Flyers (23-22-6) and New Jersey Devils (28-18-6) face each other for the third time in 12 days. John Tortorella’s Flyers team will complete a home-and-home set against Sheldon Keefe’s Devils on Wednesday. The match will be played at 7:00 pm (ET) at the Prudential Center, Newark.
The game will be broadcast live on TNT/MAX, while the radio broadcast will be available on 93.3 WMMR and online on Flyers Radio 24/7.
Philadelphia leads the four-game season series played so far 2-0-0. They won 3-1 on December 18 and picked up a stunning 4-2 win at home two days ago. The final match of the series will be played on March 9 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Bobby Brink (power play), Joel Farabee, Garnet Hathaway and Scott Laughton (empty net) scored for the Flyers in Monday’s match in Philadelphia. Goalkeeper Samuel Arson made 31 saves, while Devils’ Jake Allen saved 22 of 25 shots.
Now let’s look at 5 key points from this important match on Wednesday.
1. Shot blocking strategy (Part III)
The Flyers blocked 33 shots of the Devils in the match played on January 18 and they blocked 32 shots in the game played two days ago. In this match too, they will try not to give space and time to the offensive players of New Jersey.
Apart from this, to maintain possession, the Flyers will need to show excellent passing and support in the neutral zone. In Monday’s match, they won 62% of the faceoffs, which helped in stopping the fast aggression of New Jersey.
2. Player to watch: Tyson Foster
Tyson Foster has been impressive lately. He had two assists against the Devils in the last game.
Although he has only scored 1 goal in his last 11 games (1 goal, 3 assists), he can prove to be a key player due to his defensive hard work and offensive play.
3. Captain Sean Couturier returns
Flyers captain sean couturier missed the monday game due to illness. Scott Laughton played well in his absence. But the good news is that Couturier returned to practice on Tuesday and is likely to play on Wednesday.
His presence will be beneficial for the team, especially since Devils captain Nico Hischier may still be out due to injury.
4. Sam Erson’s last game of January
This is the last game Flyers goalie Sam Erson will play in January, as Ivan Fedotov is expected to take over goalkeeping for Thursday’s game against the Islanders.
Ersson has been impressive in January:
- 8 wins and 2 losses
- 1.96 GAA (goals against average)
- .925 save percentage
If Erson can get a win on Wednesday, it will be a huge morale boost for the team.
5. Ristolainen and Hathaway’s utility
Rasmus Ristolainen and Garnett Hathaway have been impressive in both games against the Devils.
- Hathaway scored on a deflection on Monday and came close to scoring another goal in the third period.
- Ristolainen had two assists and played impressive defense.
These two players will have to continue their excellent form if the Flyers are to win again on Wednesday.
Conclusion
This match could be the turning point of the series. The Flyers have a chance to take a 3-0 lead and win the series. Will they be able to beat New Jersey again? We will find out on Wednesday night!
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