The Devils executed their game plan well against the Flyers and carried play for the most part during 5 vs 5 play, but that wasn't enough to come away with a win in a very important game against a division rival just ahead of them in the standings.
After scoring in the first minute of the game, the Devils couldn't find twine again until there was 30 seconds remaining in the 3rd period. That was a short handed marker by Michael Ryder to send the game to overtime, where the Devils would eventually fall extending their losing streak to three.
Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Brayden Schenn scored for the Flyers while Ray Emery was excellent stopping 31-33 in the win.
10 notes:
1. That was a very tough loss to take as not only was it against a team just above them in the standings, but it was a game where the Devils probably deserved two points. The final 40 was pretty even overall, in large part because the Devils were short handed four times in that span, but the Devils were the much better team in the first 20 and only led 1-0 after it was all said and done. Ray Emery made some great saves to keep the Flyers in it, and eventually they rewarded him with three goals of support and a win.
2. Again, that loss was a tough pill to swallow but I liked what I saw from the Devils. Their aggressive play on the penalty kill, for the most part, gave the Flyers fits as they didn't allow them to setup on the power play. Not only that, but the Devils generated quite a few chances and scored the game-tying-goal while they had a man in the box. They also did an excellent job carrying the puck into the zone, taking play behind the Flyers net and controlling play on the cycle at even strength. They were only rewarded with one point for their efforts, but they certainly did some good things.
3. I actually thought Anton Volchenkov played a pretty good game vs Philadelphia. He stopped the Flyers from getting a scoring chance on a 2-on-1, shut down Claude Giroux on a couple of 1 vs 1 scenarios and was involved physically, as usual. He also did some good work on the penalty kill. If he can play like this on a more consistent basis it'd be a huge boost for New Jersey.
4. Ryane Clowe played some excellent hockey last night. He was involved physically, made a couple nice passes to setup scoring chances, one of which was converted to an assist thanks to a great effort from Jaromir Jagr, and finished the game with six shots. Clowe's foot speed is more or less non-existent, but his play with the puck and hockey IQ allow him to be effective despite his poor skating ability. He hasn't been great, but he has a pair of assists, 11 shots and two fighting majors in his last five games. The guy is showing up.
5. Claude Giroux was the straw that stirred the drink for the Flyers again last night. After not being named to Team Canada, you knew he was going to be full of piss and vinegar. That translated to a goal that got the Flyers going as well as quite a few quality scoring chances. Giroux was very good once again and him not being on Team Canada is an absolute joke. I hope Giroux records 50 points in the next 40 games or so.
6. I thought the Devils 4th line of Reid Boucher, Andrei Loktionov and Mike Sislo was excellent when they did get on the ice. They showed a lot of creativity and created several good scoring chances when they were given the opportunity. Not only that, but the puck essentially never entered the zone when they were out there.
5 vs 5 shot attempts for/against:
Boucher: 8/3 Loktionov: 7/1 Sislo: 6/1
Give them more ice, Pete.
7. Marek Zidlicky is having one of those stretches where he looks like one of the top puck-moving defenseman in hockey. He had an absolutely beautiful assist on Michael Ryder's 3rd period goal and was creating all night. Not only that, but he was good defensively and he did not take a penalty(!).
5 vs 5 SAF/SAA for Zidlicky: 14-5
8. I appreciate Zac Rinaldo's competitiveness, but he's really not a very good hockey player and he was absolutely terrible last night. He didn't register a hit, a shot (or anything - straight 0's across the board) and was hemmed in his own zone almost every time he stepped on the ice.
The Flyers did not register a shot attempt in his 7:34 of 5 vs 5 ice and they allowed 10. That's not very good where I come from.
9. Michael Ryder quietly has 14 goals on the year and is on pace for a few less than 30. It took him a while to get going, but I'm sure that's about what Lou Lamoriello was expecting when he signed Ryder. Goal scorers are streaky and when they're not scoring they can be tough to watch at times, but you get the good with the bad.
10. Get Eric Gelinas back in the lineup. Maybe Adam Larsson, too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow Todd on Twitter @ToddCordell!
Email: NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com