Flyers beat Devils 4-3 in shootout
The NHL is here. Granted it’s the preseason but the game is no less thrilling. It couldn’t possibly be docile when it’s the Philadelphia Flyers against the New Jersey Devils. Although, it was an exhibition match, both sides went all out for the win.
As the game began, the Devils seemed to be holding on well. They were regularly challenging the Philadelphia offensively and defensively, until the third period. In the third period the Flyers appeared in control of the game. The Flyers continued their aggressive
game from the third period, scoring the equalizer, into overtime and to finally win the game in the shootouts.
The first Breakthrough came from the home team in the first period. Centre Darrol Powe scored the goal for Philadelphia with an assist from right winger Claude Giroux in the fifth minute of the game. Powe needs to be scoring if he wants to keep a place on
the roster. Though many would say that Powe wasn’t the best choice to be paired up with Giroux, they still performed well against the New Jersey Devils. The two have been training together in the off seasons for years.
The second goal of the night also came for Philadelphia 7 minutes later. Centre Jeff Carter took the shot with assists from defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn during a four on four. Carter was brilliant during the game and appeared to be in complete
control. The Devils at this point were gearing up to turn the game around. Four minutes later the Devils had scored.
For the Devils it was Adam Mair who scored first. Assisting him were defensemen Henrik Tallinder and Alexander Urbom. All three are new to the New Jersey Devils and have been at the subject of many analysts and writers. So far the world has been good on
them. Tallinder and Urbom specifically have exceeded expectations. The two appeared solid in their own ends. Devils’ Head Coach John MacLean made a good choice in placing them together on the line. Against the Flyers, the duo showed excellent puck moving abilities
and were quiet fast on the ice. They covered and complemented each other. When one of the two (usually the rookie) made a mistake the other was right there at the right time and place.
The exhibition match was also a good opportunity for them to get time on ice. Their chemistry on the ice was unmistakable and they showed that again in the second quarter when they made their second assist of the night. This time around the scorer was Jamie
Langenbrunner. Excellent start for Rookie Urbom and not a bad debut with the Devils for Tallinder either.
“I think it went alright. I think it went well with me and Henrik”, Urbom said after the game. He said that he was happy to get assists but to him how he played was more important. Tallinder at least thought Urbom had played really well. “I am surprised
how talented he is”, Tallinder said. The two assists for Tallinder and Urbom weren’t just flukes. They moved the puck between themselves frequently. “Keep 'em coming. That's what I told him”, said Tallinder of Urbom’s passes.
Apart from Langenbrunner and Mair, the third scorer for New Jersey was Dainius Zubrus. Zubrus’ goal came off assists from forward David Clarkson and defenseman Matt Corrente. Zubrus is a quality forward, who can be depended on to score. Youngster Matt’s
performance, however, was an unexpected treat to watch. Matt made his presence felt by landing a few good hits, particularly on Flyers’ winger Nikolai Zherdev.
Langenbrunner and Zubrus’ were the only goals that came off the second period. The Devils kept the Flyers down but into the third the scenario flipped. The Flyers got the equalizer from Danny Briere’s 13th minute goal. Danny along with James VanRiemsdyk
and Bill Guerin formed the second Philadelphia line. In the third period the Flyers assaulted Devils’ goaltending prospect Mike McKenna with a barrage of shots (14 in total in comparison to just 5 against the Flyers goaltender). Mike did as good a job as could
be expected to keep the Flyers from scoring.
In the overtime no one scored and it came down to the shootout. First 2 for both teams were saved the next were ones were goals. In the end New Jersey’s Jacob Josefson was unable to put the puck in the net while Mike Richards did, winning the game for Philadelphia.
Tags: