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National Hockey League
New Jersey 4, Philadelphia 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 21, 2017
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Dan O'Halloran, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen: Devin Berg, Michel Cormier
Attendance: 19932

PHILADELPHIA -- Rookie left wing Miles Wood got into his third NHL fight, drew a game-changing penalty and recorded the first two-goal game of his NHL career Saturday night, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 4-1 victory over the free-falling Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Afterward, he seemed a little disappointed he didn't pick an assist for his first career Gordie Howe hat trick.

"Yeah, I actually did know that," Wood said, "but it was a great team win by our guys."

Kyle Palmieri and Pavel Zacha also recorded goals and Michael Cammalleri picked up two assists to give the Devils (20-19-9) their fourth win in their last six games (4-1-1). Goaltender Keith Kinkaid, who started for the second straight night in place of an ill Corey Schneider, turned aside 35 shots to improve to 6-5-2.

"A lot of blocked shots," Kinkaid said, referring to the 32 blocks by the Devils, including six from defenseman Damon Severson. "And when they got through, I saw it all the way."

Flyers rookie Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia, which was returning from a bye week and is 3-9-3 since its 10-game win streak in December.

The Flyers allowed four or more goals in five straight games and in nine of their last 12 overall. Michael Neuvirth, who allowed three goals on 25 shots before being pulled for precautionary reasons after two periods, took the loss. Steve Mason allowed one goal on four shots in relief.

The Flyers were outscored 21-6 in their last five losses.

"We scored one goal again," Flyers winger Jake Voracek said. "You're not going to win many games like that."

The game turned late in the second period when Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas was called for clipping Devils forward Wood on what appeared to be a legal hip check. Gudas complained about the call as did Flyers assistant captain Wayne Simmonds, who was sent to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"I didn't think it was a penalty at all," Gudas said.

Neither did Wood.

"I thought I had him beat wide, but he was much faster than I thought and he got me good," Wood said. "I don't think it should have been a call. But it was a good hit by him."

The Devils took full advantage of the 5-on-3 power play, taking a 2-1 lead when Palmieri cranked a pass from P.A. Parenteau past Neuvirth at 15:51 for his 11th of the season.

Simmonds took full responsibility for the unsportsmanlike penalty.

"That's my fault," he said. "That's a momentum changer. I take all the blame for that."

With 48 seconds to play in the middle period, the Devils took advantage of Jakub Voracek's inability to get the puck across the blue line on a change. As a result, Wood broke in alone on a breakaway and beat Neuvirth with a snap shot inside the far post.

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol replaced Neuvirth with Mason to start the third period, but a tripping penalty to forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare gave the Devils another power play and Wood scored again to make it 4-1.

The teams traded first-period goals, with the Devils taking a 1-0 lead on Zacha's fourth goal of the season 7:11 into the contest and the Flyers tying it on Konecny's eighth goal of the season 3:38 later.

Zacha, the sixth overall pick in a 2015 NHL draft that included Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, hunted down a loose puck in the offensive zone, then backhanded a pass from Jacob Josefson past Neuvirth for his second goal in three games. He netted only two goals in his first 37 games.

The Flyers answered when defenseman Ivan Provorov, taken seventh overall in 2015, fired a shot wide of the net. Konecny chased down the puck and knifed it through the pads of Kinkaid for his second goal in four games.

NOTES: G Steve Mason was expected to get the start Sunday night when the Flyers visit the New York Islanders. Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said Saturday morning that he would like to establish a No. 1 goalie for the final half of the season but did not identify if that would be Mason or Neuvirth, who has been the Flyers' backup since arriving last season. ... Devils G Cory Schneider was well enough to back up. ... RW Matt Read returned to the lineup after missing two games with a lower-body injury, giving the Flyers their first entirely healthy roster of the season. RW Dale Weise sat in his place. D Brandon Manning and D Nick Schultz were also healthy scratches. ... D Jon Merrill returned to the Devils' lineup after sitting out Friday night. RWs Beau Bennett and Devante Smith-Pelly and D Seth Hegelson were healthy scratches. ... The Devils return to action Tuesday night when they face the Los Angeles Kings, followed by a Thursday night home game against the Washington Capitals.
Top Game Performances
 
New Jersey   Philadelphia
Miles Wood 2 Points Nick Cousins 1
Miles Wood 2 Goals Nick Cousins 1
Michael Cammalleri 2 Assists Ivan Provorov 1
Miles Wood 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Keith Kinkaid .972 Save Percentage Michal Neuvirth .880
Keith Kinkaid 35 Saves Michal Neuvirth 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
New Jersey 29 4 2-7 6-6 17 30
Philadelphia 36 1 0-6 5-7 19 41
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Flyers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .440 after a loss.
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Devils have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .379 after a loss.