Play This Total Between The Devils And Flyers

Devils vs. Flyers, 7:00 ET

With just one football game remaining, we are going to ramp up the hockey and basketball plays during the week. I know we've already been doing that, but the weekends and podcasts have been filled with football, so it is time to change gears and increase our focus on other sports. The NHL has treated me rather well to this point in the season, but there is always room for improvement. I'm looking forward to this game between the Devils and the Flyers and hopefully getting a nice unit for us to start the week. 

The Devils are having a nice run to this point in the season with a 28-17-6 record. Although there is still room for improvement, they are one of the better squads in the league. New Jersey has been pretty strong on the road as well with a 14-9-2 record away from their home ice. Perhaps one of the best things about the club is that they are deep and balanced. They have three different players leading them in points, goals, and assists. This means there are contributions from many rather than just one guy doing all of the work. Jack Hughes leads the way with 57 points, and he is second on the team in assists behind Jesper Bratt. Nico Hischier has 24 goals for the team, but there are three others with at least 15 goals and another four on top of that with at least 10 goals. The Devils haven't played particularly well lately with nine losses in their past 13 games. Maybe they are snapping out of it as they have won back-to-back games. Jake Allen will be in the net for the Devils tonight with 2.67 goals against per game and a .904 save percentage. He doesn't have a spectacular record at just 7-8-1, but he's played well this month, allowing 1.95 goals against per game, and he has a .920 save percentage. 

Dec 23, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The Flyers don't have as nice of a record as the Devils, but they are putting together a good enough campaign. They are 22-22-6 this year and have been no better at home than they have been on the road. Their home record is just 11-11-1. They are led by Travis Konecny who paces them in goals and assists, thus also leading them in points. This isn't a knock on a team with one guy leading the way, there are a lot of teams that have a guy doing that. For the season, the Flyers are scoring just 2.94 goals per game, and allowing 3.36 goals against per game. They do take more shots than their opponent which I always like. Although Philadelphia has won three of their past five, they've gone just 5-7 over their past 12 games. They did get a win over the Devils recently, beating them 3-1. Samuel Ersson will be in the net for the Flyers. He has put together a nice season, going 14-8-2 and allowing just 2.80 goals against per game. He doesn't have a great save percentage though, at just .891. 

I think the Flyers are probably live dogs in this one. Although Allen has played rather well lately, I don't feel very confident that he is going to stop everything that comes his way with the Flyers. Neither team has played very well recently which gives me a lot of concern for taking either on the moneyline. With neither team racking up goals lately, and both goalies playing decent enough, I'll take the under for this game. 

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