The Devils welcomed the Philadelphia Flyers into the Rock on Tuesday night for their second meeting of the season. Despite controlling much of the play, especially in the third period, the Devils could not capitalize on their opportunities to add the extra point in the standings and lost 3-2 in overtime. They fell to 16-12-2, while the Flyers improved to 18-10-3, having earned points in their last nine contests.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils’ fourth line came through in a tightly contested first period. Michael McLeod scored from Nathan Bastian and Curtis Lazar at 14:16 for his second goal in as many games.
The period ended with a 1-0 Devils lead despite being outshot 7-4 by Philadelphia.
Period Two
The Flyers responded early in the second with a goal off a Jack Hughes turnover. Ryan Poehling netted his third of the season from Joel Farabee at 1:10.
The Devils regained their lead on the powerplay at 2:44. Nico Hischier, playing in his 400th career NHL game, drove hard to the net, and Jesper Bratt was able to bury the loose puck. Jack Hughes collected a secondary assist on the play.
At 8:19, the Flyers tied things up at two apiece with Poehling’s second goal of the night, this time off a two-on-one break with Travis Konecny. Travis Sanheim also tacked on an assist.
Period Three
In the third, the Devils did everything but score. They outshot the Flyers 10-4 and maintained heavy pressure but were unable to capitalize on some grade-A opportunities.
Overtime
The Devils had the early jump in overtime. Jack Hughes was hauled down on a breakaway with no penalty called, much to the displeasure of the sold-out Prudential Center crowd.
The teams exchanged chances, but following another Jack Hughes turnover, Owen Tippett ended the night at 3:25 with a glove-side snipe on Vitek Vanecek. The goal was unassisted.
The Devils collected one point in the 3-2 overtime loss. Final shots on net were 26 apiece.
Turnovers Loom Large
Turnovers are undoubtedly the story coming out of this game. Jack Hughes had a tough night, with two turnovers leading directly to goals against. This was an uncharacteristic performance from the superstar forward, and Devils fans should look for him to have a big bounce-back performance on Thursday night.
Perfect Penalty Kill
On the bright side, the Devils successfully killed off all three of the Flyers’ power-play opportunities. The penalty kill is an area that the Devils are trying to improve, as it currently sits at 76.5%, which is ranked 24th in the league. Brendan Smith’s return to the lineup provided some much-needed help in that regard.
Up Next
The Devils look to get back in the win column against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday in their second and final meeting of the season. The Devils lost the first matchup 4-1 at Rogers Place.
The Oilers, who are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Islanders, have a record of 13-15-1.
The game will be aired on ESPN+ and Hulu.
