New Jersey Devils-Philadelphia Flyers Rivalry Becomes About Goalies

The New Jersey Devils face the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time in the Carter Hart era. With Mackenzie Blackwood also on the horizon, this is a matchup we could see for a long time.

Last year, I wrote about Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick taking over the Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils rivalry. It made sense. The two players went one-two in the NHL Draft. Patrick was the guy everyone loved all season, but injuries and below-his-expectations play caused the Devils to pick Nico over him. It seemed like this would be a rivalry that would bring out the best in both players.

While that may be true eventually, it’s not starting out that way. Nico and Nolan seem to be friendly with each other. Patrick played four games against the Devils last season, and scored zero points while Hischier scored four against his foes. Patrick has one goal in two games this season, while Nico only played in one of the matchups.

The real reason this rivalry isn’t up to snuff? Both these teams find themselves in the basement. However, there are two players that these fanbases have hope to get them out. It all starts between the pipes.

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Carter Hart is the starting netminder for the Flyers for Saturday’s matchup. He’s doing his best to try and keep this Flyers season alive, posting a .920 save percentage in eight starts. The 20-year-old goalie somehow only has three wins in that span. He’s had two bad games over that stretch, but was brilliant in the other six. It seems he’s boom or bust right now, which you’d expect from a guy who isn’t even old enough to drink.

Meanwhile, the Devils hopes lie on the shoulders of Mackenzie Blackwood. He just came off injured reserve in time for this matchup, hopefully meaning we see our first Hart versus Blackwood matchup of this great rivalry. He’s also played eight games, posting a .947 save percentage.

These two players could take this rivalry by the horns. They had very different runs as prospects, which could jump start their hate for each other. They didn’t share the draft process like Nico and Nolan did. Hart and Blackwood didn’t spend time together going through the combine, media process and the shared stress of the night of the draft. They have no ties.

Both these players have incredibly small sample sizes. Things can go off the rails quickly for both players, but right now it looks like they can lead this rivalry for the better part of a decade. Blackwood is 22 years old. Hart, again, is just 20. In a decade, they could both still be playing in their primes. If they can extend this rivalry that long, it will be a fun one to watch.