DEVILS vs FLYERS | PRE-SCOUT | GAME #21

Hey everyone,

Tuesday’s win over NYI showed a lot of character from the Devils, and what a finish it was! In an all-important “four-point” divisional game that became an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, the Devils found a way to come away with their second consecutive regulation W.
The greatest takeaway from this game was the Devils' response in the third period after their 2-1 lead turned into a 4-2 deficit. I would expect that the Devils probably had some level of doubt going into it with Vitek being pulled, Dougie leaving injured, and being the victim of a similar situation so many times this season (0-6-0 in games when trailing after two periods entering Tuesday). The resilience we saw in the third period, though, tells me that there must have been a different sense of belief in the room, and that's likely a result of the four straight dominant periods of hockey they had played vs. CBJ & BUF.A must-note here is that Jack Hughes had FIVE (50%) of these slot shots in the third period, and, of course, the early goal to bring the Devils back to life.

I’m hopeful that the Devils, mounting their first third-period comeback win of the season, possibly foreshadowed what’s to come when they are forced to show similar resilience down the line. Again, you don’t want to be chasing games as often, but having the ability to claw back in games like they did last season would be a tremendous quality for this team to have going forward.
You just have to love what this line was able to pull off tonight. For coach Ruff to throw these guys over the boards with under a minute to go, in a tied, divisional game against a 2023 playoff team, speaks volumes to his trust in them to make an impact. Think it's safe to say that they did!Lazar’s team-leading four hits powered the Devils to out-hit the Islanders (20-18); the first time they’ve done so since March 14, 2021. Love to see the Devils shift the narrative against one of the heavier teams in the league.Similarly to Lazar, Brendan Smith contributing in the way he has is exactly what we mean when we talk about “playoff intangibles.” Smitty being effective in games, chipping in with an assist and a fight in consecutive contests, is huge for the group. Jack is absolutely right in his comments that Smith is “stepping up to the plate” and “bringing an element of team toughness” that the team lacks. The versatility of playing forward, defense, and being one of the team’s best penalty-killers only adds to his value in the lineup.I also have to give a nod to a young penalty killer who the Devils will see on the other side of the ice tonight in Philly, that being Flyers' D Cam York. York is #1 in front of Smith in those SH Shots AG & SH HD Chances AG categories above. I'll provide a more in-depth outlook on his team's PK in my Pre-Scout section, but York's 23 Shots AG & 6 HD Chances AG through over 47 min of SH ice time are quite remarkable for a 22-year-old.It was disappointing to see VV yanked again, and the Devils know they have to be better in front of him defensively. With that being said, Akira came in and was perfect in relief, something he's grown accustomed to at this point. Schmid's ability to consistently play this well when coming in cold off the bench is remarkable, especially as a 23-year-old who played in the USHL just three years ago.In 6 relief appearances since his first career win (vs. OTT on Nov. 10, 2022), Schmeedo has now posted 81 saves on 83 shots (.964 SV%). So impressive!The Flyers have been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL through the first 20 or so games. With that being said, we are starting to see some regression in their offense through their last 5 games, as their 5v5 Goals For rate is down almost 40%; Slot Shots rate down 22%; and Inner Slot Shots rate down 25%. So, we may be seeing them come down to earth here a little.

One of the big storylines here, noting that they are inside the top 10 in all of forechecking chances, rush chances, and rebound chances, is the potential of this game turning into a bit of a track meet. John Tortorella, who has done a terrific job in his PHI tenure, clearly has his team playing a heavy, hard, physical game. They’re tough to play against, and they're going to put a lot of pressure on the Devils with their rush game, their hard forecheck, and their relentlessness in going right to the blue paint.Although they’ve struggled tremendously on the PP, the Devils still need to be very committed to the details in any kills they're tasked with tonight, as they’ve conceded 3 PPGs in the last 2 games. That said, this Flyers' PP is less than dangerous.

Now, back to 5v5, the biggest surprise to me is how good they’ve been defensively in shutting down opposing opportunities. They’ve conceded next to nothing, in terms of their rankings relative to the rest of the league. These guys are defending extremely well and the Devils have to understand that it’s going to be a difficult task to generate opportunities tonight. They’ll have to battle through the frustrations that come with playing this Flyers team.

Their PK, too, has done a very good job. Surprisingly, they’re only ranked #11 even with all of their PK metrics here in the top 7. Hopefully, the Devils’ PP can continue to be an X-Factor against a very solid PHI PK. We know NJD has the deadly talent necessary to bury on limited chances if that be the case, but this Flyers team is very strong defensively, both 5v5 and on on the PK.Carter Hart is the confirmed starter between the pipes for the Flyers. He’s been solid backstopping this club, with some nice individual improvement from the past 3 seasons despite his current three-game slide. He'll be conscious of the fact that his team has only scored one goal in each of their last three contests, so, I expect a dialed-in Hart tonight. I'm also wary knowing Hart has given the Devils a hard time in their meetings over the years. He's boasting an eye-opening .933 SV% and 2.02 GAA in 10 career starts against NJD all-time, winning 6 of those games. Don't make it easy on him tonight!