Devils Shut Out Flyers, Losing Streak Hits 10
If the coaching change on Monday was supposed to be a wake-up call, the Flyers were fast asleep in Wednesday's game.
The Devils scored twice in the second period to supply all of the offense needed in the game, as the Flyers losing streak reached 10 games with another lifeless effort in a 3-0 shutout loss.
There wasn't much in terms of chances for either side in the opening period. The Flyers were once again sloppy with the puck and struggled to sustain offensive-zone time. The Devils had the only power play of the period, but were not able to score. Through 20 minutes, shots were 11-9 Devils.
In the second period, the Flyers struggles to get into the zone and generate continued, and the Devils finally managed to cash in on their constant pressure.
At 5:30, the Devils broke the ice with the opening goal as Jesper Bratt finished off a pass from Nico Hischier going high over Carter Hart to make it 1-0.
On a power play, the Devils added another goal. A point shot by Ty Smith was deflected by Dawson Mercer to make it 2-0.
The Devils appeared to make it 3-0 late in the period when Pavel Zacha scored, but the play was challenged and ruled offside, taking the goal off the board.
Despite that, the Flyers entered the final period down by two goals and trailing in shots, 22-14.
The Flyers continued to play uninspired hockey in the third, as the Devils managed to keep the pressure on. An empty-net goal with 30 seconds to go by Michael McLeod officially sealed the result.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves for the shutout win. Hart made 24 saves on 26 shots in the loss.
Bratt finished with another multi-point game against the Flyers with a goal and an assist.
The Flyers continue their road trip by heading West to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night at 10 p.m.
Box Score
1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Devils | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- No Scoring
2nd Period
- NJ Jesper Bratt (7) (Nico Hischier, Damon Severson) 5:30
- NJ Dawson Mercer (7) PP (Ty Smith, Bratt) 11:35
3rd Period
- NJ Michael McLeod (1) EN (Jack Hughes, Yegor Sharangovich) 19:30
Game Statistics
Flyers | Devils | |
Shots | 25 | 27 |
Power Plays | 0/2 | 1/3 |
Hits | 20 | 21 |
Faceoff % | 67.8% | 32.2% |
Giveaways | 10 | 7 |
Takeaways | 4 | 9 |
Blocked Shots | 15 | 8 |
Penalty Minutes | 6 | 4 |
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.