The Devils, who have at least a point in four of their last five games, continue their six-game road swing with a one-off matchup against the Flyers in Philadelphia Tuesday night.
You can watch the game on NBCSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
PRE-GAME STORY: Devils at Flyers 3.23.21
The Devils have at least a point in four of their last five games as they pivot to take on the Flyers in Philadelphia Tuesday night

By
Sam Kasan
NewJerseyDevils.com
YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
PRE-GAME VIDEOS
Devils Minute with Amanda Stein
Pre-Game Media Availability with Head Coach Lindy Ruff
WATCH LIVE AFTER THE GAME
Chris Wescott and Matt Loughlin have post-game reaction, highlights and analysis immediately following the game
THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: NJD vs. PHI
Head-to-Head: NJD vs. PHI
Devils Player Stats
Flyers Player Stats
Media Game Notes
RECENT NEWS & BLOGS
BLOG: Coaching Youth
10 Takeaways: What you may have missed
BLOG: Road Trippin
BLOG: We're Talkin Bout Practice
RECENT VIDEOS
3-on-3 Panel | The Midway Point
Monday's Interview:
Ruff
Practice Report: Growing Together
TV & RADIO
You can watch the game on NBCSN
You can listen to tonight's game on the Devils Hockey Network.
INSIDE THE DEVILS
Check out the latest team coverage in our Inside the Devils Blog.
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PRE-GAME STORY
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -The Devils held an optional skate on Tuesday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center as they get set face the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time in nearly eight weeks.
Philadelphia, which suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to the NY Islanders on Monday night, has stumbled of late, going 3-6-1 in its last 10 games. But the Flyers have been very successful in the second game of back-to-back affairs, going 4-1 on the year.
"I watched their game last night. It looks to me like they're back on track after a couple disappointing losses," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "We know this is going to be a really tough test for us."
The Devils, meanwhile, are riding a 3-1-1 stretch after taking two-of-three from the Pittsburgh Penguins. But Ruff doesn't want his team to become complacent.
"Just because we won, we competed hard, we had a good game in Pittsburgh (Sunday), we don't want to take that for granted," Ruff said. "That's the message."
MINOR OFFENSE
Perhaps the Devils' biggest Achilles' heel all season has been their inability to convert on their scoring chances. That includes the two previous games the club lost in January to the Flyers.
"Those early games (against Philadelphia) we didn't take advantage of a lot of offensive opportunities," Ruff said. "The key to winning games a lot of times is to get a team down and play your game.
"We're going to focus on how we need to play, how fast we need to play. But ultimately, I think we're going to have to finish our opportunities to create that space inside of a game, where you get a (one-)goal lead, a couple-goal lead and it forces the other team into a more gambling situation, and you get more opportunities."
New Jersey worked on finishing offensive opportunities at Monday's practice. In fact, the reason the Devils practiced on Monday after playing back-to-back games was because they felt it was imperative to work on the offensive part of their game.
"It is something you can teach. It's something you practice," Ruff said of finishing. "Hands get better the more you're out there working on your game and shooting. Unfortunately, there have been quite a few days that we've had to take off (practice) just due to schedule."
OFFENSIVELY DEFENSIVE
One feature the Devils worked on Monday, and in previous practices this month, is activating their defensemen to join the rush to create chances.
"I've always liked to see a fourth guy in on the rush," Ruff said. "We've been working hard on trying to have that guy and we'll continue to work on part of it."
The Devils' strategy has produced. And the stats back that up. A Devils defenseman has figured in on each of the last 11 straight New Jersey goals, and 15 of the past 17.
One D-man in particulary that has stood out is P.K. Subban. The 31-year-old veteran has two goals and six points in his past 10 games, which includes a power-play tally.
"I think he's on the rise," Ruff said. "I've challenged him to be more involved, to be a fourth guy, to make sure we're gapping up, to make sure we're an option when the forwards are going over the line."
Ruff also wants Subban to get pucks on the net when he does have the possession, avoiding blocks or misses.
"He's got such a great shot that when he does get it through we've seen him beat goaltenders from the point without a screen," Ruff said. "Making sure you get there and making sure the opportunities you're getting up top aren't getting blocked."
Subban's power-play goal against Pittsburgh last Thursday, a hard slap shot from the midpoint, is a good example of that. Another would be his "overtime winner" against the Islanders on March 14 that was eventually overturned due to the Devils being offside (Devils fans haven't forgotten).
PREVIEW
DEVILS (11-14-4) vs FLYERS (15-11-4)
TV: NBCSN at 7 PM ET
Head-to-Head:
The Devils and Flyers will meet for the third time this season, and first time in the City of Brotherly Love, Tuesday night. The clubs haven't met since Jan. 26 and 28 in
Newark
with Philadelphia picking up two victories, 5-3 and 3-1 respectively.
The Devils' four goals against Philadelphia have come from Travis Zajac, Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha and Damon Severson. Claude Giroux leads the Flyers in scoring against New Jersey this season with four points (1G-3A) while James van Riemsdyk as two goals and three points.
Devils Team Scope:
New Jersey is trending in the right direction as of late. The Devils won two of their last three games, which came against the Penguins. New Jersey is 3-1-1 in its last five games overall, netting seven of a possible 10 points.
New Jersey is playing Philadelphia in the second of a six-game, 10-day road trip. It started with a victory in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and will finish with games in Washington (2) and Boston (2). The Devils have the second-best road record in the East Division at 7-3-2.
The improvement in special teams has fueled the Devils' recent successes. They have three power-play goals in the past five games, while the penalty kill has the success rate (90.6 percent) in the NHL over the past 11-game span.
Also, New Jersey has had superb goaltending of late. Mackenzie Blackwood has stopped 68 of his last 71 shots (.958), while Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves in a victory against Pittsburgh last Thursday in an emergency start.
Flyers Team Scope:
The Flyers, who are playing on back-to-back nights after a 2-1 overtime loss to the NY Islanders Monday, started the season on a tear with a 7-2-1 record, which included two wins against the Devils. Philadelphia's opportunistic scoring masked a lot of their issues, and allowed it to have a lot of success. Since that start, those issues resurfaced as the club has slogged along at 8-9-2, which includes a 9-0 loss to the New York Rangers.
Forward James van Riemsdyk leads the club in scoring with 29 points while he's tied with Joel Farabee with 13 goals. Five players on the roster have over 20 points on the season and 12 different players have scored goals in March alone.
While the Flyers' offense has clicked all year, their defense and goaltender have bottomed out.
Three defensemen are struggling in "coverages, clearings and breakouts," according to the club's official website, and their plus-minus shows it: Travis Sanheim (minus-14 in March), Shayne Gostisbehere (minus-11 in last nine games), Phil Myers (minus-11 in March). The remaining blueliners, including top D-man Ivan Provorov, have been inconsistent.
As far as goaltending, Carter Hart's confidence has been shaken as of late, and he's facing some adversity with his play. Hart, who is projected to start against Jersey, has an 8-7-1 mark and an eye-opening 3.83 goals-against average and .875 save percentage on the year. Brian Elliott hasn't been able to make up the void as his numbers aren't much better.
By the Numbers:
New Jersey leads the NHL in points by rookies this season with 50 (20G-30A) in 29 games. Also, the 20 goals by Devils' rookies rank second in the league. New Jersey has received 54 percent of its points this year from players age 23 or younger (107 of 198). No other team in the league is above 40 percent.
Twelve of Joel Farabee's team-leading (tied) 13 goals have come at even-strength. Claude Giroux is winning 61.1 percent of his faceoffs, which ranks third in the NHL (100 faceoff minimum).
Injury Update:
Devils:Bastian (lower-body), Hischier (frontal sinus fracture).
Flyers:Hagg (shoulder), Frost (shoulder).

















