Flyers Head to Jersey
Martin Brodeur picked up the 500th win of his career against the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this season. Since then, he’s played like he’s capable of winning 500 more.
Brodeur will look for his 10th win in 12 starts since reaching that milestone Sunday when the New Jersey Devils host the Flyers.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made New Jersey -142 money line favorites (NHL Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 5 goals (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 60% of bets for this game have been placed on New Jersey -142 (View NHL Bet Percentages).
It was fitting he became just the second goaltender with 500 victories against the Flyers. Brodeur is 12-1-1 in his last 14 starts against Philadelphia and has beaten the Flyers 38 times in his career, which is tied for his most against any team with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.
Brodeur lost for the first time in regulation since Nov. 16 as the Devils fell 4-1 to the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. He had gone 10-0-1 before Saturday’s loss, giving up three third-period goals and given little help from a defense that took 10 penalties.
"When the effort is not there, it’s a tough one to take," said forward Zach Parise, who leads the team with 14 goals and 33 assists and scored the lone goal on Saturday. "We played well in the first period but the rest of the game was frustrating."
New Jersey (17-12-3), which has lost three of its last four games since a nine-game winning streak, was 0-for-4 on the power play on Saturday and is just 3-for-27 with the man advantage in the past seven games.
Philadelphia (16-11-3) had alternated wins and losses in its last 11 games before falling 6-5 in a shootout to Carolina on Saturday – the first time the Flyers have lost back-to-back games since Nov. 15 against the Rangers and to Brodeur on Nov. 17.
The Flyers have yet to lose three in a row yet this season after doing so eight times last season en route to the league’s worst record.
Despite Saturday’s loss, Philadelphia seems to have found a third scorer to complement Mike Richards (14 goals, 21 assists) and Daniel Briere (13 goals, 20 assists).
Forward Joffrey Lupul had his second hat trick in three games on Saturday. After scoring just six goals in his first 27 games, Lupul – acquired from Edmonton in July – has doubled that total in the past five days. He is the first Flyers player to record two hat tricks in the same week since Eric Lindros did it in back-to-back games against Florida and Montreal on March 18-20, 1995.
"The puck’s kind of following me right now,” Lupul said. "Pucks just bounce to me and I bank them in.”
The Flyers have the second fewest shots on goal in the NHL, but have scored on 11.9 percent of their shots – the best percentage in the league.
Philadelphia has scored a power play goal in four straight games, going 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) in that span. The Flyers are converting 23.3 percent overall, one of the league’s best success rates.
by: Staff Writers – Email Us
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