New Jersey Devils (36-19-0-2) at Philadelphia Flyers (28-25-1-2)
NHL Hockey: Monday February 8, 2010 7 PM EST
The Line: Pick Over/ Under 5 1/2
Two Atlantic Division rivals hook up in the City of Brotherly Love tonight as the new look New Jersey Devils look to a avenge a loss as they take on the struggling Philadelphia Flyers.
The New Jersey Devils have made a serious push at winning the Eastern Conference this season as they won the highly touted Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes making a good team that much better as Kovalchuk is one of the premier goalscorers in the world. Despite the price paid to acquire Kovalchuk who until further notice is a just a rental player, the Devils are poised to make a playoff run with solid goaltending and plenty of offensive support for the Russian sharp shooter. The likes of Parise, Zajac, Elias, and Zubrus are a major upgrade for Kovalchuk as he is used to being the big fish in an incredibly small pond. New Jersey looks to improve on their 1-1 record since acquiring Kovalchuk as they take on the Flyers in Philadelphia tonight.
The Flyers' up and down season continues as they have lost back-to-back games against subpar teams. Philly was shutout by the lowly Edmonton Oilers 1-0, and they followed that loss up with another to the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Despite losing to the also-rans of the Western Conference, I believe the Flyers have the talent to make a playoff run in the considerably weaker Eastern Conference. Aside from the Capitals who seem to be unbeatable at the moment, any team in the Eastern Conference playoff picture seems to have the ability to beat each other on any given night. The Flyers have a nice combination of youth and veteran leadership as well a balance of grit and natural talent. The blue line is anchored by controversial but effective defenseman Chris Pronger who can set the tempo of any game with this shot or his body. Philly also has the talent with the likes of Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, James van Riemsdyk, Jeff Carter, and Danny Briere, and also have the physical presence of Dan Carcillo and Ian Laperriere.
With a talented top to bottom roster Philly should be in a position to contend for the Eastern Conference but the Achilles Heel of this franchise at least in recent memory has been its goaltending - or lack there of. Numerous playoff pushes have come to an abrupt end due to goaltending inadequacies as the Flyers have relied on the likes of Roman Cechmanek and Martin Biron to get them to the promised land. However, Philly has received some stellar play from career backup Michael Leighton this season and has since won the starting job from preseason acquisition Ray Emery. If Leighton can maintain his solid play and the Flyers' talent can rise to the occassion I look for the Flyers to make some noise in the playoffs.
This game is a close one to call and the line is essentially a pick em, but I like the Flyers in this spot. Devils goalie Martin Brodeur has lost 4 consecutive starts against the Flyers and I look for Philadelphia to capitalize on that psyche. The Devils are a solid road team but are coming off a loss to the New York Rangers and are entering the first game of a home and home with the Flyers. Philly needs this win to stay in playoff contention, and consecutive losses to the Devils would spell a nightmare for the Flyers. I expect a hard fought game between both teams with the Flyers coming away with a close 3-2 victory.
Kyle's Pick: Philadelphia Flyers
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