Flyers, James van Riemsdyk look to exploit Devils’ penalty kill again
The Flyers, trying to sweep the two-game series in New Jersey, have been terrible on the penalty kill but among the league's best on the power play.
The Flyers and New Jersey Devils are tied for 29th in the NHL on the penalty kill with an awful 65.2% success rate.
Unlike the Devils, however, the Flyers have counteracted their weak penalty kill by putting together an outstanding power play over the first seven games. They exploited the Devils’ penalty kill Tuesday and will try to do it again in a rematch Thursday in Newark.
The Flyers went 2 for 5 on the power play Tuesday, with both goals scored by James van Riemsdyk in a 5-3 win.
Van Riemsdyk is tied with Toronto’s John Tavares for the most power-play goals in the NHL (four).
Both of van Riemsdyk’s power-play tallies Tuesday were scored on deft tip-ins of drives by Ivan Provorov.
“Anybody who wants to go to the front of the net knows that he’s going to take some abuse,” coach Alain Vigneault said after that victory. “But in those situations where he did go in there, positioning in front of the net, screening the goaltender, his stick available the way it was, and him having that eye-hand coordination to get those tips, those are big plays.”
The Flyers are ninth in the NHL on the power play, clicking at 29.2%. New Jersey is 24th (14.3%).
Goalie matchup
Carter Hart (2-2-1, 4.18 GAA, .880 save percentage), who has just four wins in his last 17 road contests over the last two seasons, will again face Scott Wedgewood (1-2, 2.70, .914).
Hart, 22, is trying to bounce back from a shelling Saturday in Boston.
Prosser in lineup
Nate Prosser, a stay-at-home defenseman, is expected to replace Mark Friedman in the Flyers’ lineup Thursday. Vigneault has been critical of Friedman’s play.
Signed as a free agent in 2019, Prosser, 34, has played in 354 career NHL games and has 47 points and an “even” rating. He has played most of his career with the Minnesota Wild.
In 59 games with the AHL’s Phantoms last season, Prosser had 10 points and a minus-4 rating.
Ruff’s milestone
New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff will become the seventh head coach in NHL history to coach 1,500 games Thursday, joining active coaches Joel Quenneville (1,708), Barry Trotz (1,680), and Paul Maurice (1,607) and former coaches Scotty Bowman (2,141), Al Arbour (1,607), and Ken Hitchcock (1,598).
Vigneault (1,292) is 15th on the list.
Breakaways
Travis Konecny and van Riemsdyk are tied for third in the league with five goals apiece. … Konecny is tied with Jake Voracek (seven assists, fifth in NHL) and Kevin Hayes for the team scoring lead with eight points each. Hayes is tied for fifth in the NHL with seven even-strength points. ... The Devils will get left winger Jesper Bratt (16 goals in 60 games last season) back in the lineup Thursday. He is off the COVID-19 protocol list. ... Konecny has scored on 38.5% of his shots. ... Ivan Provorov, getting more ice time with Phil Myers injured, is eighth in the NHL, averaging 25:37 per game. Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang is No. 1 at 27:34.