*stats based on playoffs.
Match-up - Devils (48 wins, 102 points) @ Flyers (47 wins, 103 points)
Road/Home records - 24-15-2 -------------- 29-10-2
TV - NBCSN (HD), CBC (HD), RDS (HD)
Puck drop - 7:30 PM ET
Series score - Flyers lead 1-0
Projected starting goalies - Martin Brodeur (NJ) vs. Ilya Bryzgalov (PHI)
Battle of the stats
Goals for/against per game *
Philadelphia - 4.00 / 4.10
New Jersey - 3.00 / 2.46
Powerplay/Penalty Kill percentage *
Philadelphia - 36.6% / 72.1%
New Jersey - 20.5% / 73.3%
Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Flyers:
Scott Hartnell - Danny Briere - Jakub Voracek
James van Reimsdyk - Brayden Schenn - Wayne Simmonds
Zac Rinaldo - Matt Read - Jaromir Jagr
Max Talbot - Sean Couturier - Eric Wellwood
Matt Carle - Kimmo Timonen
Nick Grossmann - Braydon Coburn
Andreas Lilja - Erik Gustafsson
Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Devils:
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Travis Zajac - Ilya Kovalchuk
Zach Parise - Patrik Elias - David Clarkson
Petr Sykora - Adam Henrique - Dainius Zubrus
Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Bryce Salvador- Marek Zidlicky
Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Anton Volchenkov - Adam Larsson
Notes: Martin Brodeur will start...Cam Janssen, Eric Boulton, Tim Sestito and Peter Harrold are expected to sit as healthy scratches...Ryan Carter, who has recovered from food poisoning, will draw back in for Sestito.
Flyers to watch out for:
Zac Rinaldo - Thanks to the Claude Giroux suspension, Rinaldo will draw back into the lineup. The Flyers seem mentally drained right now and they could really use a some sort of spark. It will be Rinaldo's job to provide it.
Danny Briere - With Giroux out of the lineup, Briere will be leaned upon to pick up the slack offensively. He's always very good in the playoffs, and that will need to continue tonight.
Ilya Bryzgalov - Giroux is out, which means the Flyers have lost a big piece of their offensive punch. Bryzgalov can't rely on the Flyers to score five goals to cover up any mistakes he makes, so he'll need to be on his game.
Devils to watch out for:
Dainius Zubrus - He has been great in this series recording four points (2G, 2A) and posting a plus-5 rating in four games.
Ilya Kovalchuk - He's been very good when he has played in this series, registering five points (1G, 4A) in three games. He's never made it the Conference Finals before, and with a good showing tonight it's almost guaranteed that will change.
Marek Zidlicky - Zidlicky has really found his groove offensively and it's showing. He's recorded four points (1G, 3A) and has six shots in his last two games.
Keys to the game
Philadelphia - Come out flying, and don't let up
The Flyers are on the brink of elimination and are at home. They will come out with a purpose tonight, try to get an early lead and get the fans into the game. If they jump out to an early lead, as they have the previous three games, they need to stick to what got them the lead.
New Jersey - Survive the first 10 minutes
As I said, the Flyers will come out flying this evening. They're on the brink of elimination, and I'm sure you'll be able to tell when you see them. If the Devils can survive until they get their feet underneath them, they'll be in great shape.
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