Devils, Flyers Clash in Philly | PREVIEW

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (28-17-6) vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (22-22-6)

The New Jersey Devils visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.

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

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Warren Thompson and Son Roofing.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Devils will be without their captain, Nico Hischier, against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night. After leaving Saturday's game at Montreal in the third period, Hischier was listed as day-to-day as the club waited to see how he was feeling. Hischier is dealing with a lower-body injury.

In need of an extra body on the roster, the Devils recalled Brian Halonen from the Utica Comets.

Halonen will draw into the lineup, skating with Paul Cotter and Justin Dowling this morning.

Because of Hischier's absence, the forward lines have required some tinkering; however, head coach Sheldon Keefe had the luxury of returning to a top line of Ondrej Palat, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt, which has proven chemistry, having played the majority of the season together.

Mercer Moves to Middle

Dawson Mercer has had a couple of short stints playing the middle of the ice this season but has predominantly played as a winger for Keefe. Tonight, Mercer will be called into duty as a center taking on important minutes.

“For someone like Mercer, you’re wanting those opportunities, you’re wanting to be leaned on and counted on. To me he was outstanding in the third period the other night in Montreal when we asked him to step into that role. That’s what you need. It’s little things like that that helps you find your way through.

Mercer Moves to Middle

Dawson Mercer has had a couple of short stints playing the middle of the ice this season but has predominantly played as a winger for Keefe. Tonight, Mercer will be called into duty as a center taking on important minutes and added responsibility. He was heavily relied on in the third period against Montreal after Hischier left the game.

Dawson Mercer has had a couple of short stints playing the middle of the ice this season but has predominantly played as a winger for Keefe. Tonight, Mercer will be called into duty as a center taking on important minutes.

“For someone like Mercer, you’re wanting those opportunities, you’re wanting to be leaned on and counted on," Keefe said. "To me he was outstanding in the third period the other night in Montreal when we asked him to step into that role. That’s what you need. It’s little things like that that helps you find your way through."

Mercer grew up playing the center position and said this morning that he loved the opportunity to get back into that role when he's called upon and went on to explain how his role changes with the move to the middle: “It’s a big part of supporting the puck, you’re the middle guy so if the D have it, you want to be close to them or read the play and be far away and be closer to where the pucks going to go. That’s the main thing with it, trying to play a few steps ahead to make sure that when the puck arrives in that position, you’re there already to help your teammate.”

Last Time Out

It was just over a week ago when the Devils and Flyers last played one another. The Devils were handed a 3-1 loss to Philly and collectively did not have a strong showing.

"We didn’t break out well, last game against them. It was low-event game, but we also didn’t play our best game," Timo Meier shared. "We’ve got to definitely play with more intensity but it starts with breaking out the puck better and getting on the forecheck. We’ve been doing a better job on the forecheck. We’ve got to establish our game early.”

"There’s lots of areas we need to improve,” Keefe said of their previous showing. “But they play hard and not just how they played against us, they’ve been playing realyl well for quite a while. Very dangerous in transition with their speed they generate coming out of their own end and they defend real hard, clog lanes, block shots, so it’s hard to get to their net. Those are all things we’ve got to find our way through. But our game is in a better place now than when we saw them last, that in itself, we’re hoping it can improve our performance against them.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils are coming off of an overtime victory in Montreal on Saturday night. New Jersey saw it's top goal scorers contibute against the Canadiens, with Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes all accounting for goals, while Tomas Tatar added another. The win did not come without some concern, as Hischier left at the beginning of the third period with an injury that head coach Sheldon Keefe says is likely to keep him out day-to-day. Similarly, Hughes did not take any faceoffs in the game, which may be in responce to the stitches he recieved on his hand in the game prior, against the Boston Bruins. Jake Allen was victorious in his return to Montreal for the first time. The goaltender made 29 saves on 32 shots for his second consecutive victory.

Monday night will be the first time the Devils visit the Flyers this season, after the two squared off in their first game of the year, less than a week ago.

The Philadelphia Flyers are led by forward Travis Konecny, who has 56 points in 50 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 48 games. His 14 goals rank tied for second on the club with Owen Tippet.

In net, Samuel Ersson leads the charge starting 25 games with a 14-8-2 record. While Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov have shared backup duties.

With 50 points in 50 games, the Flyers are outside the playoff picture, five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, who currently hold the second wild card spot.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Nico Hischier has been on a tear as of late, and although his status for Monday is unknown, he is one of the hottest players on the ice these days for New Jersey. He has four goals and six points in his last five games.

Flyers: Like Hischier, Konecny has six points in his last five games, although predominantly assists. He has one goal in his previous five games but has contributed five assists.

INJURIES

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

Flyers: Egor Zamula (day-to-day), Ryan Poehling (upper-body, IR), Nicolas Deslauriers (upper-body, IR), Eetu Makiniemi (out)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Jan 18, 2025 vs. Flyers, L 3-1
• Jan. 27, 2025 at Flyers
• Jan. 29, 2025 vs. Flyers
• March 9, 2025 at Flyers

GAME NOTES

• Jersey’s team improved to 3-5 for games decided in overtime this season, after the Jan. 25 victory at Montreal.

• New Jersey enters Monday’s contest vs Philadelphia with a 18-10-6 record against Eastern Conference teams and a 8-5-3 record against the Metropolitan Division this season.

• Entering Monday’s contest, New Jersey defensemen combined for seven power-play goals, which ranked tied for first in the NHL with Colorado.