It’s a good time to be a Philly fan.
For the Jersey fans, not so much.
Despite doubling the shot total they had when they faced the Philadelphia Flyers (23-22-6) just nine days ago, the New Jersey Devils (23-18-6) fell 3-2 at the Wells Fargo Center.
After Ondřej Palát drew a high-sticking penalty early in the opening frame, the Devils earned four minutes of a man advantage but had trouble connecting throughout, only managing two shots on Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson.
Curtis Lazar was sent to the penalty box shortly after for tripping, and the Flyers wasted no time.
The Devils went 6/22 on the faceoff dot in the first frame without their league-leading faceoff winner, captain Nico Hischier (who was out of the lineup after sustaining an injury on Saturday’s game in Montreal), and his absence was notable.
Just six seconds into the power play, Bobby Brink fired the puck from the blue line after the initial faceoff draw was won back, beating goaltender Jake Allen on the one-timer.
The Devils’ mistakes continued as 28 seconds later, a turnover in the neutral zone put the puck on Scott Laughton’s stick. Allen made the first save, but Joel Farabee was lurking in the crease, poking the rebound through the five-hole, giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead.
The Devils entered the second period the same way they started the first.
Garnet Hathaway perfectly redirected the puck past Allen less than five minutes in, putting the Flyers up by three.
Ersson was the biggest obstacle for the Devils to beat, making numerous saves on high-danger opportunities, ultimately keeping them in a three-goal deficit.
The Devils finally got on the board with the clock winding down in the second. Dougie Hamilton’s shot took an awkward bounce and trickled past the red line, beating Ersson, who made the initial save.
The Devils got their feet under them late, finally generating offensive pressure and connecting on the forecheck with time expiring.
Jake Allen was pulled for the extra attacker with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
After an extraordinary effort from Jack Hughes to keep the puck in deep at the end of a long shift, Jesper Bratt found a waiting Timo Meier who sent a blast from the right circle, putting the Devils within one with just over a minute remaining.
The nail in the coffin came in the form of an empty net goal from Laughton, sealing a 4-2 win for the Flyers.
Despite a great push and final effort at the end, the Devils’ inconsistency and early mistakes cost them the game.
The Devils went 19/50 (38%) at the faceoff circle tonight, their third-lowest showing this season.
The Devils will look for the win as they prepare to take on the Flyers again, this time at the Prudential Center, on Wednesday, Jan 29.
