Total Has Gone Over in Four of Last Six Devils-Flyers Games as They Meet Wednesday
- The 0-1-1 New Jersey Devils travel to Philadelphia to face the 1-0 Flyers
- The Devils are +110 underdogs
- New Jersey is 5-3 straight up in its last eight visits to Philly
The New Jersey Devils were supposed to be among the surprise teams of the 2019-20 NHL season. So far, they’ve been full of surprises, none of them good.
New Jersey is off to an 0-1-1 start as the Devils pull into Philadelphia on Wednesday for a showdown against their Metropolitan Division rivals the Flyers.
New Jersey is listed as +110 underdogs in the matchup.
New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Puckline | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Devils | +110 | +1.5 (-240) | Over 6.5 (-105) |
| Philadelphia Flyers | -135 | -1.5 (+195) | Under 6.5 (-115) |
*Odds taken 10/08/19
New Jersey is 0-2 against the spread this season.
Shake up the Devils
Coach John Hynes put his forward lines and defense pairings in a blender as the Devils practiced on Tuesday. Hynes even broke up his top line of Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Nico Hischier.
Nikita Gusev found himself on the #1 line with Hall and Hischier, while Palmieri dropped down with Jesper Bratt and Travis Zajac on the second line.
Wayne Simmonds is ready to face his former team in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“I’m ready to go get the two points for the New Jersey Devils.” @amandacstein | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/mnUqPUoBX9
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 7, 2019
Blake Coleman, Jack Hughes and former Flyer Wayne Simmonds formed the third line, with Miles Wood, Kevin Rooney and John Hayden skating on the fourth line.
Pavel Zacha and Jesper Boqvist were the extra forwards.
Hynes also shuffled the deck on the back end. That’s not a surprise considering that New Jersey has surrendered 12 goals through two games.
John Hynes talks to the media after today’s practice. pic.twitter.com/oNtx4hX5xP
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 8, 2019
The pairing of Damon Severson and Mirco Mueller, a combined minus-seven through two games, was severed. Mueller is slated to be a healthy scratch on Wednesday. Severson will now pair with captain Andy Greene.
Sami Vatanen switched from the right to the left side to join newcomer PK Subban in the Devils’ top pairing. Will Butcher and Connor Carrick formed the third defensive duo.
Devils in the Details
It’s hard to find the good out of New Jersey’s first two games this season. The Devils blew a 4-0 lead in their opener and fell 5-4 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets. They were totally embarrassed 7-2 by the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Buffalo Sabres center Sam Reinhart (23) lifts the puck past New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) for the seventh goal in the third period at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo Saturday, October 5, 2019. (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News) pic.twitter.com/ybrLM2vrqe
— Mark Mulville (@MQMulville) October 6, 2019
The Devils power play is 0-for-4. New Jersey is the only Metro team without a win so far this season.
New Jersey Has Flyers’ Number
Overall, the Devils are 4-2 in their last six against the Flyers. At Philly, they are 9-4 in their last 13 when facing the Flyers.
But when the Devils have been bad against Philly, they’ve been very bad. Their most recent meeting was a 6-3 Flyers verdict. In 2018, Philadelphia bounced the Devils 5-2.
Philly Homecoming
The Flyers opened the NHL season with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in a game played at Prague in the Czech Republic. They’ve have four days to rest up since and shake off the jet lag.
Philly is 2-5 in its last seven home openers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Play the Over
Forget about who’s winning this game and focus instead on how much – as in how many goals the two teams will combine to tally.
The total has gone over in four of the last six Devils-Flyers games. It has gone over in four of Philadelphia’s last five home games. The total has gone over in nine of Philly’s last 13 games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Jack Hughes is ready to experience the Devils/Flyers rivalry for the first time tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ZPmd77Ws3P
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 8, 2019
The total has gone over in both of New Jersey’s games this season and in four of the Devils’ last five games. And the over has been the play that’s come through in six of New Jersey’s last seven October games.
The over is totally the play to make on this game.
Pick: Over 6.5 (-105)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
