GAME STORY: Devils 6, Flyers 4

NEWARK, N.J.- The Devils had to fend off several Philadelphia comebacks to emerge with a 6-4 victory Tuesday night at
Prudential Center
to snap a 10-game losing streak.
New Jersey pulled ahead with scores of 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4 in the game with a wild third period that featured seven total goals. New Jersey's fifth goal of the game, from Yegor Sharangovich, would hold up to be the winner, and the team added an empty-net tally for good measure.
"It feels much better to come into the locker room and celebrate a win," captain Nico Hischier said. "If you look at the game, it wasn't easy. But we found a way to bounce back every time. At the end all that matters is we broke that streak and finally got a win."

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WHAT'S NEXT
The Devils continue their four-game series with Philadelphia for Game 1 on Thursday. You can watch on MSG+ and listen on the Devils Hockey Network,
including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com.
Game time is 7:08 PM ET.
The Devils received goals from Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Miles Wood, Connor Carrick, Sharangovich (winner) and Mikhail Maltsev. New Jersey's power play went 2-for-2 on the night.
Philadelphia goals scorers were Oskar Lindblom, Philippe Myers, Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier.
In Sunday's game, the Flyers scored two late-third period goals with the goaltender pulled. New Jersey watched a 3-1 lead dissipate in the final 1:26 minutes of play in an eventual 4-3 shootout loss.
However, this time around the Devils were able to fend off an aggressive 6-on-5 attack by the Flyers and hold on for the victory to end their 10-game skid (0-9-1).
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff thought his team panicked on Sunday. He saw that creep into their game again tonight, so he called a timeout to address his team down with 1:56 to play.
"I kept that talk extremely positive," Ruff said. "We can't be scared to not go out and play. I wanted guys on their toes. I wanted us to be aggressive. I said they're going to make their push, they're going to get aggressive. We're going to have to win some wall battles. We're going to have to get up ice and we have to play."
Here are some other observations from the game…
* After the Flyers tied the game at 4-4, it took all of 11 seconds for the Devils to regain the lead, thanks to a smart play by Janne Kuokkanen. On the ensuing faceoff following the goal, the Devils dumped the puck and there was a botched hand off behind the net between Flyers goalie Brian Elliott and defenseman Ivan Provorov. Sharangovich jumped in to blow up the play. The puck slid to Kuokkanen, whose lane was blocked to the net. Smartly, he banked the puck off the back of the net to Sharangovich on the opposite side. Sharangovich easily wrapped around to slip the puck into an empty net.
* Save of the game goes to Devils defenseman Matt Tennyson. In the final minutes of the game, a deflected puck ended up on the stick of Sean Couturier for a breakaway. He beat Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with a deke, but a diving Tennyson got his stick on the shot to preserve the lead, and preserve the win.
"That was an unbelievable play," Hischier said. "I thought to be honest it was in the back of our net again. Great job. You could see the desperation there."
* Good for Carrick. The 27-year-old journeyman has been called into action for the past five games with the COVID-19 diagnosis to P.K. Subban and Jonas Siegenthaler. Carrick made the gutsiest play Sunday when he dove to block a would-be goal late in the third period to preserve a lead (though we know how that game would turn out).
"I'm used to being evaluated every time I'm on the ice," Carrick said. "That's how I view this, as an opportunity for myself, for the Devils. You're competing for every inch you get in this game. I don't take that lightly. It's been a lot of fun.
"Any time you're in an NHL lineup, it's a phenomenal opportunity. And you're always working towards your next."
This time, Carrick got it done on the offensive side. He collected the puck in the neutral in retreat, but then pivoted and turned up ice. He chipped the puck beyond a flat-footed Myer and swerved around him. Carrick re-gained control in the circle. Elliott was off of his angle and Carrick took advantage, going far side off the post and in for his first goal of the season to regain a New Jersey lead, 4-3.
"I think he's played well for us," Ruff said. "He's jumped in and filled that void with the guys have been out. Scoring the goal, that was a big goal for us at that time of the game because of what just happened to us.
"If you're going to be a defenseman you have to defend first. He's defended well. To get involved in the offense and score that goal was a huge bonus."
* Man, did the Devils miss rookie defenseman Ty Smith on the backend. They are just a different team when he's in the lineup, and that's saying something about the impact of a 21-year-old. Smith's biggest contribution came on the power play, where two plays he made directly led to two goals.
Smith, who missed the past four games with an upper-body injury, helped the Devils get on the board late in the first period with the man-advantage. He had the puck at the blue line and pulled Philadelphia's Oskar Lindblom way out of his position before making a nifty behind-the-back blind pass to Hischier. With Lindblom overextended, the Flyers PK box was forced to shift up ice, creating a passing line at the crease. Hischier found Zacha at the goal line. Zacha exploited that open line to go cross-crease to Jack Hughes for a shot. Hischier would clean up the rebound for the game's opening goal. Smith didn't pick up a point on the play, but it was his skill, smarts and execution that created that goal.
Smith would make another play early in the second period on another power play. This time he carried the puck along the blue line and again drew the attention of Lindblom. Smith gave the puck to Hughes, and with Lindblom overextended (again), it created a small passing line into the slot for Zacha. Hughes got the puck through that tight window and Zacha ripped it home. Smith was awarded an assist on this sequence.
* The Devils have surrendered the game's opening goal in eight of the last nine games. And it looked like it would be nine in 10 when forward Michael McLeod took a double-minor high-sticking penalty five minutes into the game.
But the Devils PK had one of their best efforts all season long, limiting the Flyers to a single shot - from rookie defenseman Egor Zamula - through four minutes. Ryan Murray blocked a shot. Sharangovich deflected a pass and the Flyers had very little sustained pressure. Crisis averted.
"(Killing the penalties) really set the tone," Ruff said. "It created momentum for us, it created energy. That game could have gone in the other direction with the Flyers taking advantage of that four-minute minor. We did an excellent job. I don't know that they generated a scoring opportunity. It created a little bit of momentum for us."
* The Devils finished a plus-2 in the special teams battle with two power-play goals for and none against. Special teams can always be a difference maker.
"Killing off that double-minor in the first and a couple power-play goals, that's a bit of a turning point in the game," Smith said. "That was huge for us and we have to continue to build off of that."
* Speaking of McLeod, he knew that his teammates picked him up by killing that double-minor. So he had to do something to help make amends and pick up his teammates. He did that early in the second period. After delivering a hard check into Philadelphia forward Sean Couturier, McLeod dropped the gloves with Travis Sanheim. For initiating the brawl, Sanheim was assessed an extra two minutes for roughing to give the Devils a power play. New Jersey would score on that power play to take a 2-0 lead. Amends complete.