Flyers-Devils: Game 57 Preview

(Kate Frese/SB Nation)

Back from the desert, the Philadelphia Flyers can take a huge step in defining their season as they face their rivals, the New Jersey Devils.

By Dan Heaning, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

After two big victories in the desert, the Philadelphia Flyers can give themselves a nice cushion for a top three spot in the division while asserting themselves as contenders for the number two seed in the Eastern Conference with a win tonight. However, standing in their way are the New Jersey Devils, who will look for the valuable four-point swing as well at the Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m.

The Flyers have come a long way since losing ten-straight games. Back then the team looked lost and listless. The idea of being in a playoff spot could only be conjured by the fevered dream brought on by a madman's lullaby. Now they stand to gain a five-point lead on the New Jersey Devils for the third seed in the division and, perhaps, crawl to within three points of the division lead with a victory.

On the other side of the ice, the Devils cannot afford to lose this game. A win for the Devils will push them to within a point of the Flyers with a game in hand for the third place. However, New Jersey has suffered a rash of injuries of late that includes starting netminder Cory Schneider, Marcus Johansson, Brian Gibbons and the heart-and-soul kind of player that Brian Boyle is. They will need big games from their star players and some of their typical out-of-nowhere scoring from depth players.

That may not be an issue for New Jersey, though, as this isn't your older brother's (or my era of) Flyers-Devils hockey. Instead of the Neutral Zone Trap or the Left Wing Lock boring you to death, both teams have produced offense almost at will. The Flyers have scored 11 goals in the three games against New Jersey while the Devils have tallied eights times in those contests. Both teams will need great performances from their goaltenders and for their blueliners to somehow contain the speedy playmakers each team now possesses or this game will likely have a similar score to the tilts in Newark.

Team Leaders

Do you like wealthy starting netminders? Well, you've come to the wrong place as both Brian Elliott and Cory Schneider are banged up.

This leaves Michal Neuvirth as the starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers and after his performance against the Vegas Golden Knights, the man deserves another chance to play. Neuvirth turned away 38 of 39 shots in the victory while the Flyers fired just 17 shots on Marc-Andre Fleury. Perhaps that was the type of game that will get Neuvirth's season back on track as the backup netminder hasn't had a complete game with a save percentage of over .900 since January 20 when he played, oh hey, the New Jersey Devils. During that contest, Neuvirth stopped 28 of 29 in a 3-1 victory over New Jersey. If Neuvirth packed his strong play and brought it back to Philadelphia from Vegas, it'll be a huge boost for the Flyers in a high-scoring season series.

Without Schneider, the Devils will look to Keith Kinkaid to pick up another win over the Flyers. Yes, Schneider has not beaten Philadelphia this season. Instead, it was Kinkaid who earned the 4-3 victory just 12 days ago in Newark. Kinkaid stopped 22 of 25 shots for a .880 save percentage so it wasn't like the Devils backup stole the game. In fact, Kinkaid has not played very well this season. His save percentage for 2017-18 is .892 with a goals-against average of 3.26. So he can be had, but with his 10-7-2 record, a few teams have thought the same and not gotten the expected returns in the win column.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Brian Elliott had surgery Tuesday morning to repair a core muscle and will be out for 5-to-6 weeks, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Scratches: Taylor Leier, Mark Alt