27 Jan 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Jersey Devils Center Curtis Lazar (42) and New Jersey Devil’s defender Jonas Siegenthaler (71) go off the ice after loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Pictures A decline and some injuries create a situation where the New Jersey Devils is closer to a wild card place than the management of the Metropolitan Division.
The devils hope to avoid playing a second straight game without Captain Nico Hischier and trying to start rolling again Wednesday night when they host Philadelphia Flyers in Newark, NJ
The devils play their third match since the lost starting goal Jacob Markstrom to a understood MCL led during last Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.
Hischier was held during the period from Monday’s 4-2 in Philadelphia after being checked by Montreal’s Nick Suzuki in Saturday’s overtime of 4-3. He leads the devils with 24 goals, Hischier is day to day and since the devils did not train Tuesday, his status will be unknown until Wednesday.
The devils are 4-7-3 in the last 14 matches. They once held a three-point lead on the Washington Capitals on top of the Metropolitan Division, but then a 4-2 victory over Carolina Hurricanes, they have tumbled to third and can meet a two-digit deficit for the capitals, which have two matches in hand.
Without Hischier, the devils could not win a third right after scoring nine goals in victories over the Boston Bruins and Montreal. The devils allowed the first three goals Monday before Dougie Hamilton and Timo Meier scored, but they were 0-for-3 on Power Play and held for two goals or fewer for the ninth time since December 27.
“Thought our details were not good,” New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt said after his team saw 31 shots denied. “We knew we went into this game what kind of game it would be. It’s a hard -fought game for space out there. Play against Philly at the beginning of the game, we didn’t embrace it. We wanted to be too cute with the puck And we didn’t really create any speed, and we fed their crimes a lot and we spent a lot of time in our (defensive) zone. “
Philadelphia is looking for its third victory over Devils this season and is 6-2-1 in the last nine matches since he lost four straight January 2-9.
Flyers earned a point in six straight (5-0-1) before a rough back-to-back set against New York Rangers and New York Islanders who saw them get outscored by a combined 9-2 margin even though they got a combined 64 Shots on goal.
On Monday, Flyers made at least four for the fourth time since January 9. Bobby Brink had a power-play goal and Joel Farabee did 28 seconds later before the yarn Hathaway made 2:49 into the other.
“It’s never easy when playing the same team twice in a week,” Farabee said. “They are a bit beaten and their goalkeeper (is injured). We knew we had to take advantage.”
Scott Laughton also scored and set Farabee’s goals after missing the previous three matches because of a death in his family.
Flyers continued to get solid games in the net from Samuel Esson, which made 31 rescues. Even with allowing five goals last week to Rangers, Esson is 8-2-0 with a 1.96 goal-for average and a .925 savings percentage in its last ten matches.
Philadelphia played Monday’s match without Captain Sean Couturier because of an illness and the captain could be out again Wednesday after missing his third match this season.
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