Andreas Johnsson scored two goals and assisted on two others, while Jesper Bratt added a goal and two assists, propelling the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night.
Dougie Hamilton contributed a goal and an assist and had 10 shots on goal, with Nathan Bastian also finding the net for New Jersey. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves, helping the Devils snap a two-game losing streak and secure their first home win since Nov. 11.
“Total team effort,” Johnsson said. “We gave them a little opportunity at first to come back in the game, but we stayed with it, were patient, and scored a couple of huge goals in the end.”
Joel Farabee extended his scoring streak to three games with a goal, and Scott Laughton added a goal and an assist for the Flyers. Martin Jones stopped 30 shots, but Philadelphia lost its sixth straight game.
“You’ve got to stick together,” Laughton said. “It’s better this happens in November than late in the year. We’re still in it. We’ve lost six in a row, but we’re still in it. You’ve got to stay positive.”
Bratt broke a 2-2 tie with eight minutes left in the third period. Johnsson stole the puck in the Flyers’ zone and fed Bratt, who beat Martin Jones with a backhand shot. Bratt has 14 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 12 games in November.
“(Bratt) did a great job screaming at me to let me know he was there,” Johnsson said. “I just had to put it on his stick and knew he would score once he got it.”
Bastian sealed the victory with his second goal of the season—his first since returning to the Devils. Drafted by the Devils in 2016, Bastian was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft but was claimed off waivers by New Jersey on Thursday.
“I think inside the room, that room feels good about what every line did,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “I like to see (fourth-line) guys get rewarded.”
Hamilton opened the scoring at 5:07 of the first period, notching his sixth goal of the season, which leads all Devils defensemen and is tied for third-most among NHL blueliners.
“He reads the game so well,” Johnsson said of Hamilton. “He’s very hard to play against and puts the pucks up to the forwards right away, joins the offense when it’s time to do that, and plays great defense. He’s just a general out there.”
Laughton tied the game with three minutes left in the first period, scoring a shorthanded goal after a Flyers’ puck battle at the Devils’ blue line. Johnsson then put the Devils ahead 2-1 with his eighth goal of the season early in the second period.
The Flyers tied it again in the third period when Laughton took an errant pass behind the Devils’ net and set up Farabee for his seventh goal of the season, tying him with Cam Atkinson and Claude Giroux for the team lead.
“He’s been good for us,” Laughton said of Farabee. “He always makes good plays with the puck. He plays hard. … It’s good to have guys like that in the lineup.”
DEVILS FIGHT CANCER
The Devils held their annual Hockey Fights Cancer game on Sunday. Lucas Files, a 12-year-old fan from Manahawkin, New Jersey, who completed treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2018, dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff between New Jersey captain Nico Hischier and Flyers forward and cancer survivor Oskar Lindblom.
STILL SLIDING
The Flyers haven’t won in regulation since a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 12. They have gone 1-5-2 since being outscored 31-15 in that span.
WELCOME BACK
Devils defenseman Ty Smith returned to the lineup after missing the past two games as a healthy scratch. He logged 15:24 of ice time and was plus-1.
INJURY UPDATE
Flyers center Nate Thompson is sidelined indefinitely with an upper-body injury sustained during Philadelphia’s 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Friday.
UP NEXT
- Flyers: Tuesday’s scheduled game against the Islanders was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak for New York, so the next game is at New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
- Devils: Conclude a two-game homestand by taking on San Jose on Tuesday night.
