Hart, Flyers send Devils to 4th straight loss, 2-1
Carter Hart and Rasmus Ristolainen celebrate the win against the New Jersey Devils on December 15, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images) ((Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images))
NEWARK, N.J. - Carter Hart matched his career high with 48 saves and Travis Konecny scored the tiebreaking goal on a breakaway with 8:14 to play as the Philadelphia Flyers extended the New Jersey Devils' season-high skid to four games with a 2-1 win Thursday night.
Scott Laughton also scored as the Flyers snapped a four-game winless streak (0-2-2) and beat the Devils for the second time in three meetings.
Jack Hughes scored for the Devils and Vitek Vanecek had 22 saves as New Jersey fell to 0-3-1 in its last four.
Hart was the only reason they lost. He not only stopped all but one shot but at least a dozen were top-quality chances, including a chance in close by Jesper Bratt in the waning seconds. The Devils took the first eight shots in the third period and Hart stopped them all.
The decisive goal came when a pass by Devils defenseman Damon Severson from the boards in the Flyers' zone was deflected. Konecny, who had mixed it up with Hughes in the second period, intercepted the puck, skated alone into the Devils zone and beat Vanecek to the stick side for his 12th goal.
Hughes opened the scoring with a spectacular power-play goal 4:20 after the opening faceoff. A clearing pass had deflected off Dougie Hamilton in the neutral zone. It went to Hughes, who split defensemen Ivan Provorov and Lukas Sedlak, skated in on Hart and beat him with a shot off the far goalpost for his 16th goal.
Laughton tied the game early in the second period with shot from the right point that a screen prevented Vanecek from seeing. It was his fifth goal.
THURSDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
For a couple of minutes in the second period, it looked like an old Devils-Flyers rivalry game.
Philadelphia forward Nicolas Deslauriers pummeled Devils forward Michael McLeod in a long fight about four minutes after the Flyers tied the game 1-all.
A little more than two minutes later, Flyers forward Joel Farabee, who is not much of a fighter, mixed it up with Devils defenseman Brendan Smith. It didn't last long and there was more dancing than punches.
ROSTER MOVE
The Flyers put a non-roster status on defenseman Tony DeAngelo. He missed his fourth straight game for undisclosed personal reasons. Philadelphia recalled forward Olle Lycksell from Lehigh Valley (AHL) to replace him on the roster.
UP NEXT
Flyers: Return home and play the Rangers Saturday.
Devils: Host Florida on Saturday in the finale of a three-game homestand.