Devils 5, Flyers 2: Line 2 steals the show

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Five observations from New Jersey’s 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers:

1. Stealing the show

The Andreas Johnsson - Dawson Mercer - Jesper Bratt line has clicked since the day it was assembled. There is a long list of quality showings from them and yet last night was the clear masterpiece.

Philadelphia entered the game with some of the worst defensive metrics in the NHL over the last 10 games. NJ2 was in an advantageous spot and they took full advantage, dominating the game from start to finish.

They generated 15 shot attempts, 10 scoring chances (eight Grade A), and scored a pair of goals in just over nine 5v5 minutes as a trio.

They posted an expected goals for percentage above 80% despite spending more time against *checks notes* Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux than any other Flyers forwards. Now, that only made up for ~half their 5v5 ice; but it helps put their dominance in perspective.

Again, this was the best we’ve seen from Johnsson, Mercer and Bratt. They were dangerous off the rush and routinely picked the Flyers apart in zone. But we shouldn’t be surprised.

This trio has legitimately been one of the league’s most threatening since being assembled. They rank top-5 in terms of efficiency generating expected goals and, well, the company they are keeping is remarkably strong.