Flyers-Devils: Teams Going Different Ways; How to Watch, Bet

The New Jersey Devils are showing the benefits of having the No . 1 overall pick in 2017 (Nico Hischier) and 2019 (Jack Hughes). The Devils lead the NHL with 39 points, and they bring their high-scoring team to the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.

New Jersey (19-4-1) , which has just one regulation loss in its last 18 games, will try to avenge a 5-2, opening-night loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Devils are on a 16-1-1 run; the Flyers have lost 11 of their last 12 (1-7-4), and they are tied for 24th in the league with 21 points.

New Jersey is averaging 3.75 goals per game (fourth in the NHL), nearly 1 1/2 more than the Flyers. Philly is 31st out of 32 teams, averaging 2.38 goals per contest.

Carchidi: Torts, Chuck Fletcher Seem to be on Different Page

In the Oct. 13 season opener for both teams, Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost each scored a pair of goals for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Kevin Hayes (team-high 24 points) and Konecny lead the Flyers with eight goals apiece.

Hughes paces the Devils with 12 goals and 28 points, and Jesper Bratt has a team-best 18 assists and 27 points. Hischier, a coming-into-his-own forward, has 10 goals and 26 points.

Hischier was drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, just before the Flyers selected Nolan Patrick at No. 2.

The Devils have a plus-35 goal differential, while the Flyers are at minus-22.

How to watch

The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia at 7 p.m.

Prediction.

FanDuel

Devils (minus-1.5): plus-110.

Flyers: (plus-1.5): minus-134.

Money line: Flyers plus-188; Devils minus-233.

Pick: Devils 4, Flyers 2.

Phantoms update

Samuel Ersson outdueled former Flyer Alex Lyon as the Phantoms (9-7-2)  defeated Charlotte (11-6-3) on Friday, 3-2.

Breakaways

Carter Hart (2.81, .914) is expected to face Vitek Vanecek (2.24, .918). … Justin Braun and Patrick Brown will return to the Flyers’ lineup. Egor Zamula, whose turnover led to a Tampa Bay goal in Thursday’s loss, and Tanner Laczynski will be healthy scratches. … New Jersey will debut its reverse retro jerseys tonight. … The Flyers are second in the NHL in hits (729) and blocked shots (433) ). … Philly’s power play is last in the NHL, clicking at 13.3 percent. … Hughes has five goals over his last four games. He has 20 multi-point games in his career, trying Scott Gomez for the the second-most in franchise history before the age of 22. Kirk Muller had 33 such games. …  The teams will have a rematch Dec. 15 in Newark.