Flyers at Devils: Projected lines, odds & trends, and what to watch for

The Philadelphia Flyers split the first two games of their four-game series against the Devils. Claude Giroux played hero on Sunday night in a shootout win, but the Flyers came up short on Tuesday night in Newark.

Flyers takeaways: Giroux makes history, Morin – Myers mistakes, more from SO win vs. Devils
Flyers takeaways: An ‘unacceptable’ start, ‘unfortunate’ ending, and everything in between

The Devils host the Flyers tonight at 7 p.m. in the third game of the four-game set. It’s the final meeting in Newark this year.

The Flyers have just seven games remaining this season.

Projected lines and pairs

Flyers forward lines

Kevin Hayes will be out of the lineup tonight for Carsen Twarynski. Alain Vigneault said that Hayes isn’t 100%, but also noted that the center could be playing better recently.

Here are the projected lines for tonight’s game with Hayes out.

Claude Giroux – Sean Couturier – Jakub Voracek
Joel Farabee – Scott Laughton – Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk – Nolan Patrick – Wade Allison
Oskar Lindblom – Jackson Cates – Carsen Twarynski

It’s also a possibility that Claude Giroux moves to center instead of Laughton and Patrick moving up. We’ll have more information during pregame warmups.

Flyers defensive pairs

Samuel Morin will enter the lineup for Robert Hagg. There are no other changes on defense.

Ivan Provorov – Justin Braun
Travis Sanheim – Egor Zamula
Robert Hagg – Philippe Myers

Egor Zamula led the Flyers in 5-on-5 ice time on Tuesday night in a solid NHL debut.

Flyers starting goalie

Alex Lyon will get the start tonight after Brian Elliott was shaky in the third period on Tuesday night.

Alex Lyon
Brian Elliott

Follow us on Twitter (@PhillyHockeyNow) and keep an eye out for lineup updates as we get closer to game time.

Betting odds and trends

via Covers

• The Flyers are slight favorites at -130 against the Devils (+110) with the total set at six goals.

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Flyers trends

• 13-4 in their last 17 games as a road favorite.
• 2-5 in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
• 2-6 in their last 8 overall.
• 1-4 in their last 5 vs. a team with a losing record.

Devils trends

• 8-26 in their last 34 overall.
• 1-11 in their last 12 overall.
• 1-4 in their last 5 vs. a team with a losing record.

Head-to-head trends

• Road team is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
• Flyers are 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
• Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.

What to watch for

1. Which kid to watch tonight?

The end of the season has become a time for the Flyers to evaluate some young players heading into the offseason. Wade Allison has played well and Egor Zamula was solid in his NHL debut on Tuesday night. Jackson Cates also picked up his first point on a hardworking play.

The most impressive rookie thus far has been Allison, but Zamula has a chance to catch up to him if he’s given the opportunity. Cates seems more like a bottom-six guy at best.

2. Can the Flyers score the first goal?

The Flyers have scored the first goal in just two of their last nine games. Sean Couturier described the team’s effort early in Tuesday’s game as “unacceptable” and it put them in a hole. They climbed out of it, but they need to be better in the early stages of games.

It may not mean much for this season, but a large portion of this roster will return for next year. The sooner they get things going in the right direction, the better.

3. Will the inconsistencies continue?

It has been a season full of inconsistency for the Flyers, especially recently. When they play well, their next game is usually a lackluster effort. Their strong play to finish Sunday night’s win didn’t carry over into Tuesday night’s loss.

Now, after a loss, the Flyers have been better recently. They’ve recorded a point in every other game since the trade deadline, so if that continues, they’ll pick up at least a point tonight.

The Flyers and Devils face off at 7:00 p.m. Thursday night.

Photo Credit: Heather Barry Images