As new captain Sean Couturier put it, this Stadium Series game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils has “a little more at stake.”

The Flyers and Devils are each 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, and the Devils, who are seven points behind the Flyers for second in the Metropolitan Division with two games in hand, are probably going to be the more desperate team. New Jersey recently changed their defensive coverage in direct correlation to that.

The Devils have started to drop their centers very low defensively, while also having two strong-side forwards defending in their hybrid coverage. This is why players like Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar have made the full-time switch to center, at the expenses of Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer.

Simply put, it’s going to be a unique challenge for the Flyers, who were also just picked apart by the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ star players. It’s been a bit of a recurring theme for Philadelphia, and New Jersey also looks to be approaching full health for what seems to be the first time this season, bar Dougie Hamilton.

To achieve victory on the big stage, the Flyers will have to play a disciplined game and a game that plays to their strengths. That includes rush offense and rush defense.

Is it that simple, though? Let’s discuss.

Score the first goal.

I know I’m not exactly a genius for saying this, but the Flyers scoring the first goal means more than we might think, at least on paper.

The Devils allow the first goal a ton, and the Flyers win a ton when they score the first goal. See where this is going?

Officially, Philadelphia is 21-4-3 when scoring the first goal this year. On the other hand, New Jersey has allowed the first goal 35 times this season. The Flyers have a real opportunity to put the Devils under the cosh early and keep it that way.

Scoring that first goal will make all the difference.

Pucks to the net

I’m coming for John Tortorella’s job. Ok, not really.

This is another one that seems simple, and it is. The Flyers have been one of the most trigger-happy teams in the league this year, averaging 33.4 shots per game – second-most in the NHL. The Devils are likely to start rookie goalie Nico Daws, who, despite playing well, is about to start his fourth consecutive game.

That includes both legs of a back-to-back, not to mention he was in the AHL after recovering from hip surgery just two months ago.

If I’m the Flyers, I’m putting this kid to work early and often. At the same time, the shots can’t just come from anywhere. Make Daws move, tire him out with some zone possession, and get quality shots through some traffic.

Easier said than done, of course, but the only way to win in this sport is to score more than the other team.

Controlling the rush

And, speaking of rush offense, the Devils have one of the best rush offenses in the league and one of the worst rush defenses in the league.

If the Flyers are without Cam York on Saturday, they lose their best rush defender. That also means 37-year-old Marc Staal has to play substantive minutes as the No. 6 defenseman; Rasmus Ristolainen will miss this game.

Do you know how they say “control the trenches” or “win at the line of scrimmage” in football? It’s the same premise here.

Philadelphia cannot allow players like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Luke Hughes to dominate the game in transition. Timo Meier and Nico Hischier aren’t slouches, either.

This is a game where you need Owen Tippett to win his minutes. Ryan Poehling, Noah Cates, and Garnet Hathaway figure to operate as a shutdown line against Hughes, Erik Haula, and Tyler Toffoli. Poehling and Hughes are the only burners out of the two groups.

Aside from Tippett and Poehling, there’s obviously two-time All-Star Travis Konecny, who Lindy Ruff and the Devils will undoubtedly hatch a plan to contain.

Penalty killing

Last but not least, and maybe the story of the season, the Flyers’ penalty kill.

This might seem like a hard matchup for them on paper, but the Devils are quietly 2-for-30 on the power play in their last 10 games. Even the Flyers’ power play, which has been historically bad for most of the last two years, is 5-for-34 over the same span.

Philadelphia doesn’t have a Hughes brother, multiple All-Stars, or several top-five picks who have jet packs for skates. They do have Matvei Michkov, who’s lightyears away from making his Flyers debut.

Obviously, the Flyers would prefer not to take any penalties, but they’re just part of the game sometimes. If they do have some penalty killing to do, they need to feast on this matchup with a Devils squad that’s clearly lost their mojo.

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