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Five games left.
The Matchup: The Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-8 SBN; Broad Street Hockey) vs. the New Jersey Devils (27-36-14)
The Time: 7:00 PM EST
The Game Broadcast: TV – MSG+; Digital Audio – The One Jersey Network
The Last Devils Game: The Devils fell to the Islanders 2-1 last night. The lone Devils goal was scored by Adam Henrique, his 20th of the season. Anthony Beauvillier and Anders Lee scored the Islanders goals. Keith Kinkaid had a great game, making 36 saves on 38 shots. The Devils had no chance in the game, as they gave up a shockingly large 11 minor penalties, on which the Islanders capitalized on one of them. Take that as a positive, or a negative if you’d like. John has the recap here.
The Last Flyers Game: The Flyers, ironically enough, beat the Islanders 6-3. The Flyers goals were scored by Dale Weise, Sean Couturier, Radko Gudas, Jordan Weal, Wayne Simmonds and Valtteri Filppula. The Islanders goals were scored by Cal Clutterbuck, Jason Chimera and Andrew Ladd. Six points out of a playoff spot, the Flyers are all but eliminated from the playoffs.
The Last Devils-Flyers Game: The Devils dominated the Flyers 6-2 on March 16th. Del Zotto and Schenn scored for the Flyers, while Henrique and Hall scored twice for the Devils, with Blandisi and Palmieri adding goals as well. The Devils held the Flyers to 19 shots, with Kinkaid making 17 saves. This game previously helped the Devils end a 10 game losing streak, which was feel-good.
The Goal: Reduce penalties, please. Yes, part of it was due to the referees, but changes definitely need to be made. Other than that, same as always. Play the young, change the system. Still waiting on the second part, Hynes.
NHL Transactions: Top UDFA Mike Vecchione recently signed with the Flyers, so he may make his debut this season. With Union College, he recorded 28 goals and 63 points in 39 games, which are incredible numbers. It’s only for one year, so Vecchione will likely get a new contract this summer.
Patrik Elias officially retired for the Devils yesterday, which ends a remarkable career. It’s nice to see a lifetime Devil decide to actually retire a lifetime Devil (Looking at you Brodeur).
Top Flyers Players: Schenn, Simmonds, Giroux and Voracek all have over 50 points this season, with Simmonds having 30 goals on the year. Young defensemen Gostisbehere and Provorov are looking like the future for the Flyers, which is scary for the Metropolitan in the future. This team will only continue to grow, so watch out for this team.
Your Thoughts?: Short preview, because unless there’s major news in terms of prospects, there’s not much else to write about this season. Let’s just hope the Devils lose, and the Coyotes win! Thank you for reading, and have a good day.