On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the New Jersey Devils at Xfinity Mobile Arena for their first of three matchups this season. The Flyers looked to carry their momentum from an overtime win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, while the Devils hoped to get back in the win column after dropping two straight to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Ultimately, the Flyers came out on top, handing the Devils a 6-3 defeat.
Game Recap
The Devils scored first at 7:37 into the first period, as Timo Meier found the back of the net on the power play, chipping the puck past Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar.
The Flyers found the equalizer about a minute and a half later as Noah Cates capitalized on a failed clearing attempt from Jake Allen. After the first goal, the floodgates opened. The Flyers scored three goals in 26 seconds, the first from Matvei Michkov, and the third and fourth from Tyson Foerster, putting the home team up 4-1 just 13 minutes into the game.
Tensions were flying as the first period wrapped up. Three separate scrums occurred, resulting in a Devils power play that carried over into the second period but was unsuccessful.
Both teams generated chances throughout the second period, but once again it was the Flyers who capitalized. Midway through the frame, Bobby Brink snapped a shot past Allen on Philadelphia’s 17th shot of the game.
Nico Hischier put the Devils back on the board, finishing a centering feed from Luke Hughes to make it 5-2 heading into the second intermission.
The Devils controlled most of the third period, generating ten shots by the halfway mark, but the Flyers held them off until New Jersey pulled Allen with just over six minutes left. Moments later, Simon Nemec’s shot deflected off Hischier and past Vladar, cutting the deficit to two.
However, just minutes later, Trevor Zegras restored the three-goal cushion on a fast-break chance, sealing the 6-3 final.
Next Up
Both teams are back in action Monday night. The Devils return home to face the Detroit Red Wings, while the Flyers begin a four-game road trip in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.
