Sharangovich, Devils eliminate Flyers from playoff contention

NEWARK, N.J. --The Philadelphia Flyers lost 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday and were eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.

"It's definitely not the way we saw this year going," Flyers forward Scott Laughton said. "We had very high expectations and it just didn't happen."
Yegor Sharangovich scored two power-play goals, Pavel Zacha had a goal and an assist, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves for the Devils (16-27-7), who have won two straight games for the first time since March 21-23.
"I think [the power play] is effective because we're practicing a lot and always watching video before games, after games," Sharangovich said. "It's so much fun because everybody right now is happy after games."

Jakub Voracek had two assists, and Alex Lyon made 14 saves for the Flyers (22-21-7). The loss, combined with the Boston Bruins' 5-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres, meant Philadelphia failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.
"You're chasing games, and it's a tough league to come back in," Laughton said. "Guys play a lot tighter through the neutral zone and you can't get much going, and it seemed like we did it a lot this year. We couldn't really go on a streak to try and get something going. That's something we'll have to look at and continue to build up, but guys have got to come ready right from the puck drop."
It was the third of four consecutive games between the teams; the Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout at home Sunday and the Devils won 6-4 here Tuesday. They play at Philadelphia on Saturday.
Sharangovich gave the Devils a 1-0 lead on a snap shot from the right face-off circle for a 1-0 lead at 8:10. He made it 2-0 on a backhand from the slot at 15:28.
The Devils were 2-for-4 on the power play and are 4-for-6 in the past two games.
"It just seems we've been on our toes, gotten pucks deep and we've created some pressure," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "Some of our pressures has drawn some penalties and then our power play is taking advantage and that's probably the been the biggest difference the last few games."

Laughton scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway to cut it to 2-1 at 7:14 of the second period. It was Philadelphia's first shorthanded goal of the season and Laughton's first goal in 26 games.
Jesper Boqvist made it 3-1 at 9:00 with a one-timer from the slot off a pass from Nick Merkley.
"There's a lot of smiles out there," Boqvist said. "It was a great win today and we feel confident in our game. I feel like we showed that today."
Sean Couturier scored on a tip-in at the left post to pull the Flyers within 3-2 at 12:17 of the second period.
Zacha scored on a snap shot from the left circle to give the Devils a 4-2 lead at 13:15 of the third period. Jesper Bratt scored into an empty net to make it 5-2 at 15:53, and Travis Konecny's power-play goal cut it to 5-3 at 18:10.
"It's meant a lot for the team, especially the fan base (to win two straight games)," Devils defenseman Damon Severson said. "I know losing at home [stinks], losing in general [stinks]. We've had a tough year. Being able to close games out is big. You can see our younger guys are coming a long way in that aspect, not only offensively, but just being able to lock the games down defensively."
NOTES: Flyers center Kevin Hayes, who hasn't scored in 15 games, was a healthy scratch. ... Philadelphia goalie Carter Hart is out for the season because of a sprained MCL in his left knee. ... Devils defenseman Kevin Bahl was plus-1 with three hits and a blocked shot in 15:01 of ice time in his first NHL game. He became the seventh player to make his NHL debut for New Jersey this season (Sharangovich, Ty Smith, Mikhail Maltsev, Tyce Thompson, Marian Studenic, Nolan Foote). ... Devils defenseman P.K. Subban was in his final day in NHL COVID-19 protocol and could return to the lineup Saturday.