devils flyers game preview

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (28-18-6) vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (23-22-6)

The New Jersey Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night for the second half of a home-and-home series. The Flyers bested the Devils, 4-2, Monday in Philadelphia.

You can watch on TNT or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Connections Personnel.

WATCH & LISTEN

TV: TNT

RADIO: Devils Hockey Network 

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      The defense gets a shakeup tonight when the Devils host the Flyers.

      GAME-DAY VIDEO
      Devils Minute: Shuffle on Defense
      Pre-Game Player Interviews: Kovacevic | Bastian | Tatar
      Pre-Game Interview: Sheldon Keefe

      MORNING SKATE RECAP

      NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a full morning skate Wednesday ahead of hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center.

      Devils captain Nico Hischier, who missed the club’s previous game with an injury, was absent from the morning skate and will not play. Meanwhile forward Nathan Bastian, who left Monday’s game after taking a hard hit in the second period, was on the ice and expected to play.

      Hischier has been listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, suffered after taking a cross check from Montreal’s Nick Suzuki last Saturday night.

      “He’s not available, it’s going to be week to week,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It’s something they’ll evaluate again next week and take it from there. But he won’t be available this week.”

      The Devils will have to find a way to fill a massive void left by Hischier. He’s the team’s leading goal scorer with 24. He’s the team’s top defensive center, drawing the bill against the opposition’s best players. He logs a ton of minutes in all situations.

      “That’s a guy we lean on for so much,” Bastian said. “Whether it’s power-play, PK, 4-on-4, end of the game, start of the game, who to go to for a voice. It’s Nico. So, when he’s gone you need a collection of guys to step up, probably everyone, not just a few. Hopefully in times like that we can come together and show that we can miss our top guys and we’re still the team that we are.”

      Bastian, who still wears a protective shield after suffering a broken jaw in November, was hit hard by the Flyers’ Nick Seeler while skating with his head down across the blue line.

      “I’m happy I’m OK. I was worried about my jaw for a second,” Bastian said. “I don’t like the spot I put myself in. When they say be aware of who’s on the ice, it’s not just their top line, it’s guys like that. I think the hit was fine. I didn’t lose sleep because it was bad, I was just mad at myself.”

      Defensive Shuffle

      The Devils have used the same defensive pairings for the opening 52 games of the season. The coaching staff made some changes to those pairings in the second half of Monday’s game in Philadelphia and it looks as though they’ll stick with the new units. The Devils used the following workflow at the morning skate.

      Palat – Hughes – Bratt
      Meier – Mercer – Noesen
      Cotter – Dowling – Tatar
      MacDermid – Lazar – Bastian

      Siegenthaler – Hamilton
      Dillon – Pesce
      Hughes – Kovacevic

      Allen in the starter’s net.

      “The guys have been consistently good, but like we saw with the forward groups, there comes a time when you need to look at something else,” Keefe said. “Sometimes that can help shake your team up a little bit and get their attention and get things to snap into place.

      “We know what works and what has worked. It’s a chance to try something a little different and see what it brings.”

      Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler have played together a lot over the past few years, so there is some familiarity there. The rest of the group will have to get used to each other, including the pairing of Luke Hughes and Johnathan Kovacevic.

      “He’s super skilled offensively. Hopefully I can be a nice contrast to that,” Kovacevic said, “take care of our own zone and support him up the ice in the O zone and give him that freedom to be the player that he can be.

      “The coaches are trying to get us going a little bit. At the end of the day, it’s on us. We know it comes from within. The change may freshen things up. We’re excited for it.”

      Low Fly

      The Devils have lost the first two games against Philadelphia. Though each has been a tight game, the Devils haven’t done enough in the game within the game to win.

      “As a group we want to up our compete level a bit. That’s been the message for us,” Kovacevic said. “They’re playing hard. They’ve been tight games. In tight games it’s a little battle here and there. It may not look like a lot but that’s what ends up being the difference in the game. And we dropped both (games) to these guys in regulation. It’s on us to win those little battles, come up with those pucks and come up with the win tonight.”

      Low Shot

      The Flyers play a very distinct style in the defensive zone. They play tight to the crease and concede a lot of the perimeter. They allow a lot of free movement, however, there are so many layers of bodies to the net that Philadelphia blocks a lot of shots.

      “They do really good job of clogging up the lane and clogging up the middle of the ice,” Kovacevic said. “It’s about finding different lanes of attack. Maybe we make a pass and shoot quickly off the pass as opposed to holding it and letting them get their layers. A lot of times we may get it past their first layer, but their second, third layer blocks a shot. If we can change the angle with a pass or with our feet, maybe something like that. That’s an area of emphasis tonight for sure.”

      Mr. 900

      Devils forward Tomas Tatar is playing in his 900th career NHL game tonight against the Flyers.

      "That's a lot of games," Tatar said. "That's not my focus. I focus on the team. These milestones come along with that. I'm not thinking about it at all. I'm just focused on winning a game."

      THE SCOOP

      The Devils are coming off of a 4-2 loss in Philadelphia on Monday night. New Jersey is without it's top goal scorer and captain Nico Hischier, who missed Monday's game with an undisclosed injury and is being further evaluated. They also are still without No. 1 goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who will be out through at least the February break. And to add to the list, forward Nathan Bastian left Monday's game in the second period after taking a high hit from Nick Seeler. Bastian did not return and his status is unknown.

      Similarly, Jack Hughes did not take any faceoffs in the game due to the stitches he received on his hand against the Boston Bruins last week. He hasn't missed a game, but has been held out of practices and morning skates to avoid possible infection.

      The Philadelphia Flyers are led by forward Travis Konecny, who has 58 points in 51 games and leads the club in goals with 21. Rookie sensation Matvei Michkov has made an immediate impact in his first season as the club's second-leading scorer, with 34 points in 49 games. His 14 goals rank tied for second on the club with Owen Tippet.

      In net, Samuel Ersson leads the charge starting 26 games with a 15-8-2 record. While Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov have shared backup duties.

      With 52 points in 51 games, the Flyers are outside the playoff picture, three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, who currently hold the second wild card spot.

      WHO’S HOT

      Devils: Defenseman Dougie Hamilton has three goals and six points in his last five games.

      Flyers: Travis Konecny has eight points in his last six games. He has one goal in his previous five games but has contributed seven assists.

      INJURIES

      Devils: Hischier (unknown, day-to-day), Markstrom (MCL sprain, out 4-6 weeks), Haula (ankle, day-to-day), Hatakka (shoulder, IR)

      Flyers: Zamula (day-to-day), Poehling (upper-body, IR), Deslauriers (upper-body, IR), Makiniemi (out), Couturier (illness)

      REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

      STATS LEADERS

      STATS LEADERS
      DEVILS
      FLYERS
      Goals
      Hischier, 24
      Konecny, 21
      Assists
      Bratt, 40
      Konecny, 37
      Points
      J. Hughes, 58
      Konecny, 58

      GAME NOTES

      • The Devils and Flyers meet for the third time this season, and on the second half of a home-and-home series in Newark. The Flyers earned a 4-2 victory Monday night in Philadelphia.
      • The Flyers are 2-0-0 against New Jersey this year, which includes a 3-1 win at Prudential Center on Jan. 18.
      • Philly's Travis Konecny leads all players with three points (1g-2a) in the season series. Dougie Hamilton and Bobby Brink both have scored two goals. Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson has won both contests in net for his squad.
      • The Devils enter the contest with 41 power-play goals, ranking 3rd in the NHL (Winnipeg, 46; Detroit, 42).
      • Devils coach Sheldon Keefe was on the bench Saturday night for his 400th NHL game. He ranks 3rd in history in wins through 400 games with 240 (Dan Bylsma, 252; Rod Brind'Amour, 242).
      • Flyers' Garnet Hathaway ranks 2nd in the NHL in hits with 184.