New Acquisitions Shine as Devils Top Flyers 3-1 | GAME STORY

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The newest Devils acquistions made an impact on Sunday afternoon against the Flyers. Cody Glass picked up a goal and was +2. Daniel Sprong had a +1 rating with three shots on goal as New Jersey held on for a 3-1 win.

Erik Haula and Dawson Mercer scored the other Devils goals.

Daniel Sprong had a solid scoring chance early on, taking a pass from fellow newcomer Cody Glass and one-timing a blast from the left circle that was kicked out by Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov.

Glass continued his strong debut, scoring the game’s first goal with about nine minutes to go in the first. He ripped a shot from the high slot past a screened Fedotov to make it 1-0.

“They’re opportunistic. That’s what you like," said Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe of the line of Haula, Sprong and Glass. "(Glass) gets a chance and shot it into the net."

Glass felt good on the ice and more comfortable as the game went on.

“It felt good. It helps having Haula on my line and Sprongs going through the same thing as me. Once I get the thinking out of the game, hopefully I feel more comfortable out there.”

Shots on goal after one were 8-5 for the Flyers.

Jake Allen made a big stop early in the second on a breakaway by Tyson Foerster but after that, Devils had a strong start to the frame, outshooting the Flyers 9-2 in the first eight minutes

Erik Haula scored to give the Devils a 2-0 lead just over five minutes into the middle frame. Haula picked up a rolling puck and skated into the clear where he had a wide-open net and roofed it to double the lead of the visitors. The play was started by some good board work from Glass though the assists were given to Kovacevic and Dillon.

“Great way for a player to get confident in a new environment," said Keefe. "Haula, put him on left wing with those guys and he gets rewarded for a goal.”

Haula was happy to help bring the newcomers along and said he felt instant chemistry starting with practice on Saturday.

“It was a good start yesterday in practice. It felt natural," Haula stated. "The guys didn’t have much sleep but they came in and it was a good day for us. It’s nice to have a start like that.”

Haula had a lot of good things to say about Cody Glass, in particular.

“His position is great on the ice. He’s in the right spots a lot. Good 200-foot player and complemented the line great,” he began. “It builds confidence on a new team. I don’t know if you can get off to a better start than a goal and a win.”

Late in the second, Devils had the Flyers pinned in their zone for an extended period of time, forcing the Flyers to take a shift of over 90 seconds. The best chance was a quick shot by Jesper Bratt from the left circle that Fedotov turned away with his blocker.

After 40 minutes, shots on goal were 16-13 for the Devils.

Midway through the third, shots were 4-3 for Philadelphia. At that point, the first penalty of the game on either side was taken, Stefan Noesen for tripping. Devils were able to kill it off.

With just over four minutes to go, Jamie Drysdale got in behind the Devils defense and scored on a breakway to narrow the gap to 2-1.

With 90 seconds to go, Brett Pesce was hit behind the play by Travis Sanheim. Pesce was slow to get up and Sanheim took a penalty. Pesce stayed on the ice for the ensuing man advantage. Devils were able to keep the puck away from the Flyers for the next 70 seconds.

Dawson Mercer then added an empty-net (power play) goal to clinch the outcome with 17.8 seconds to go.

Final shot count was 24-23 for the Flyers.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Flyers have eight third-period comeback wins which is first in the NHL but Devils were able to hold them off today.

• Sprong led all skaters on either team in the first period in shots with two. He achieved that in less than five minutes of ice-time. He finished with three shots on the afternoon and impressed Coach Keefe on both ends of the ice.

“He’s a guy that can score from anywhere. He can score from distance and we don’t have a lot of guys with that ability. He keeps the other team honest, that way,“ Keefe stated.

“I liked how he got some pucks to the net, Sprong today. And also how he defended. It was a low-event game and he was responsible. He did well in the neutral zone. That showed he’s committed to making a good impression and can be trusted. “

• Glass was on the ice for the first two Devils goals. The goal by Haula, which was assisted by Glass, was Haula’s first since November 25.

“It was getting a little frustrating for sure, but a little spark of a couple new guys and fresh positive energy. Real solid. Happy,” said Haula.

The Finnish forward was very vocal on and off the ice with his new teammates.

“Haula’s been great. Anytime we’ve crossed paths, he’s been a good guy," said Glass. "He’s always talking to me on the bench and making me feel more comfortable. He’s been really awesome. I can’t thank him enough.”

• Although Glass was listed as the center on the line, Haula took more of the draws for the line with Haula, Glass and Sprong. Glass only took four face-offs throughout the afternoon. while Haula had six.

• Keefe was impressed with the play of the fourth line today as well.

“Lazar, Bastian, Tatar line got exactly what I wanted from them," he said. "Taking some miles off the opposition that helped our game.”