New Jersey 4, Philadelphia 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 11, 2012
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees:
Greg Kimmerly, Brad Meier
Linesmen:
Brad Kovachik, Tim Nowak
Attendance:
15107
By SportsDirect Inc.
DEVILS 4, FLYERS 1: Ilya Kovalchuk scored a goal and set up two others as New Jersey extended its winning streak to four games by topping visiting Philadelphia in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Patrik Elias and captain Zach Parise each recorded a goal and an assist, Anton Volchenkov also scored and fellow defenseman Marek Zidlicky notched a pair of assists for the Devils, who pulled even with the Flyers for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Martin Brodeur made 18 saves en route to his 650th career victory.
After All-Star Claude Giroux tied the game 16 seconds into the third period with his 25th goal, New Jersey moved ahead for good less than three minutes later. Kovalchuk carried the puck down the left wing on a 2-on-1 and made a cross-slot pass to Volchenkov, who scored into a vacant net from the right faceoff circle.
Kovalchuk created breathing room at 8:08 when he gained possession in the left circle, glided into the slot and beat Sergei Bobrovsky high to the glove side. It was the 30th tally for Kovalchuk, who has reached the plateau in each of the last nine seasons.
Parise sealed the win with a power-play goal late in the session.
Elias opened the scoring with 25 seconds left in the first period. During a man advantage, Elias streaked down the middle and made a backhand pass before getting ahead of defenseman Matt Carle and redirecting a return feed past Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky turned aside 27 shots for the Flyers, who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Philadelphia has scored one goal or less in five of its last six road contests.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Kovalchuk has scored five goals in his last four games. The only season during which the former Maurice Richard Trophy winner did not reach the 30-goal mark was his rookie campaign of 2001-02, when he scored 29 with Atlanta. ... Zidlicky has collected five points in his last three games after being kept off the scoresheet in his first six with the Devils. ... Giroux has recorded 19 points in 18 career contests against New Jersey.
Top Game Performances
| Philadelphia |
|
New Jersey |
|
Claude Giroux 1 |
Points |
Ilya Kovalchuk 3 |
|
Claude Giroux 1 |
Goals |
Ilya Kovalchuk 1 |
|
Matt Carle 1 |
Assists |
Ilya Kovalchuk 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Patrik Elias 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Sergei Bobrovsky .871 |
Save Percentage |
Martin Brodeur .947 |
|
Sergei Bobrovsky 27 |
Saves |
Martin Brodeur 18 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Philadelphia
|
19 |
1 |
0-2 |
3-5 |
22 |
29 |
| New Jersey
|
31 |
4 |
2-5 |
2-2 |
6 |
27 |
Upcoming Games
-
New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Devils have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .552 after a loss.
-
Philadelphia will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Flyers have a W/L % of .462 after a win and .724 after a loss.
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