Match Summary
From start-to-finish this was an abysmal performance by the New Jersey Devils. The Philadelphia Flyers came out ready to play and were able to do seemingly anything they wanted en route to a 6-1 beatdown. All eyes will be on the head coach moving forward and what path the organizations chooses to take regarding his employment.
First Period
The first period was one the team will want to forget. They looked flat and it showed, with the Flyers grabbing a 2-0 lead and outshooting the Devils 13-6. The first goal came courtesy of Travis Sanheim on a seemingly harmless wrister from below the faceoff dot that went somehow beats MacKenzie Blackwood short-side. Blackwood had made some big saves before that, but ultimately a goal that cannot go in.
Tomas Tatar and Travis Konecny would each receive two minutes for slashing with just under two minutes left in the first period, sending the game to four-on-four. The Flyers would capitalize on some poor positioning and puck-chasing which allowed Atkinson to be wide open in front of the net where he would beat Blackwood for his first of three goals on the night.
Second Period
Things didn’t get any better during the second period when Justin Braun extended the Flyers lead to 3-0. A bouncing puck found its way to the defenseman who put a floater on net that fooled Blackwood and beat him glove-side. P.K. Subban would answer with a wrist-shot from just above the high-slot that snuck past Carter Hart’s glove and in for the Devils’ only goal of the night.
That would end up being the lone bright spot in an overall abysmal performance. Atkinson would get his second of the night, this time short-handed. A bad pass at the blueline led to a turnover and a two-on-one for the Flyers when Atkinson wired home a slap-shot for the 4-1 lead.
Oskar Lindblom would make it a 5-1 Flyers’ lead when he found himself alone following a turnover on a breakout attempt. A pass bounced off of Ty Smith’s stick and right to a Flyer, who fed Lindblom and he made no mistake putting his wrist shot just under the bar and over Blackwood’s glove.
Third Period
Really the only thing of note in the third was Cam Atkinson completing his hat trick. Realistically, he could have had a couple more goals tonight. Atkinson drove hard to the far post and was able to redirect home the Giroux centering pass. This beat Akira Schmid who was in as relief for Blackwood.
Key to the Game
It’s hard to pinpoint one specific issue in this one, it was just an overall poor performance in basically every aspect of the game. The Flyers were creating issues for the Devils all night. New Jersey even gave up a short-handed goal and now lead the league in shorthanded goals against. The power play struggled as a whole, going 0-4. It really only was able to generate any type of pressure during one of those opportunities.
The above chart shows the areas where most of the shots were from. The Flyers spent a ton of time in the low-slot and right around the net. The most dangerous place to have the puck in the offensive zone.
Up Next
The Devils will return home on Thursday to take on the 17-11-0 Vegas Golden Knights. Will the home ice boo birds be out in numbers when Ruff is announced pregame? It wouldn’t be all that surprising.