The Flyers will bring their season-long three-game winning streak to Newark, N.J. tonight, as they visit the New Jersey Devils and wrap up a quick road trip.
For the Orange and Black, this road trip has been a resounding success (as winning streaks typically are, unless that winning streak is undergone by the basketball team that plays at Wells Fargo Center/the other team Josh Harris owns). Not only did they come out of Madison Square Garden with a resounding 3-0 win of the New York Rangers last Saturday, but they outlasted the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday as well. Continuing that streak will come at a premium, however, as the Flyers (10-10-5) have not won at 'The Rock' since January 2014.
The Devils (13-10-2) enter the game without the services of a key player, as Travis Zajac will be out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. Zajac sustained the injury in the first period of Thursday's 5-1 win against Carolina.
Leading the way for the Devils is cagey vet Mike Cammalleri, with nine goals and 26 points through 25 games. Not far behind is Adam Henrique, with 12 goals and 20 points. Henrique's 12 goals lead the Devils, and he is the only player with double-digit figures.
Steve Mason will get the night off for the Flyers, giving Michal Neuvirth his first start in week. Mason's all-time record against the Devils is 0-7-0 with a 3.70 GAA and .861 save percentage, which Dave Hakstol said did not factor into his decision to rest Mason. It's not the worst idea, considering the Flyers play on Saturday as well.
Should the Flyers come away with two points, they will trail the Devils by one point for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. Currently, the Devils hold a 28-25 advantage in points. Interestingly enough, both teams also will put a pair of 5-6-2 records on the line — the Devils' record at Prudential Center, and the Flyers' record in road games.
The Flyers and Devils will meet for the second time in their four-game season series. Currently, the Devils hold a 1-0-0 series lead, and the series will resume on Feb. 13.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (28th, 24th on road), Devils (10th, 23rd at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (13th, 12th on road), Rangers (4th, 1st at home)
- In the last meeting between both teams on Oct. 29, the Flyers fell flat, 4-1.
- Since the Prudential Center opened in the 2007-08 season, the Flyers are 8-12-3 when visiting the Devils.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Brayden Schenn
Line 2: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Nick Cousins-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Jakub Voracek
Line 4: Chris VandeVelde-Scott Laughton-Colin McDonald
D-Pair 1: Nick Schultz-Evgeny Medvedev
D-Pair 2: Michael Del Zotto-Luke Schennn
D-Pair 3: Shayne Gostisbehere-Brandon Manning
Goalie: Michal Neuvirth
Scratches: Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan White, Mark Streit, R.J. Umberger, Sam Gagner, Radko Gudas
Where to Watch:
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Rob Riches is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
