Cam Atkinson netted three goals and added an assist, leading the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Travis Sanheim and Oskar Lindblom each contributed a goal and an assist, while Justin Braun scored for the Flyers. Philadelphia secured its third consecutive win after enduring a 10-game losing streak. Since interim coach Mike Yeo took over on Dec. 6 following Alain Vigneault’s firing, the Flyers have gone 3-2.
“Overall, our team played really solid, and this was another stepping stone in the right direction,” Atkinson said. We Stuck together, played with energy, and played the right way. … We just capitalized on our opportunities.”
Yeo has introduced a more aggressive offensive approach, which has resulted in 20 goals in five games since the coaching change, compared to just 13 goals in Vigneault’s last eight games, all losses.
“That came because of their hard work,” Yeo said.
P.K. Subban scored the lone goal for the Devils, who lost three straight and seven of their last eight. New Jersey played without captain Nico Hischier and top defenseman Ryan Graves, both sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.
New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff noted that several Devils played through non-COVID-19 illnesses.
“All you can ask is to give what you have. You can’t expect anything else,” Ruff said. “I find it hard to sit here and make excuses.”
Atkinson scored his first goal with 1:25 left in the first period, finishing a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen. He added a second goal with a short-handed slap shot late in the second period and completed his hat trick with a one-timer in the third, giving the Flyers a 6-1 lead.
This marked the seventh career hat trick for Atkinson, who leads the team with 12 goals this season.
“It was exciting,” he said.
Philadelphia broke the game open with three goals on nine shots in the second period.
Braun’s long-range wrister made it 3-0 at 6:07 of the second period. Subban answered for New Jersey 36 seconds later, but the Devils turned the puck over on a power play, allowing Ivan Provorov to set up Atkinson for a breakaway goal.
Atkinson then assisted Lindblom’s goal, which whizzed past Mackenzie Blackwood’s glove with 1:40 left in the period.
Carter Hart made 26 saves for Philadelphia.
Blackwood, one of the players Ruff mentioned as being sick, was pulled after the second period. He had stopped 17 of 22 shots. Akira Schmid replaced him, making seven saves in his second career game.
Home Ice Cheers
The Flyers received loud cheers from their home crowd after the second period, a rare occurrence this season. This victory marked their first home win since Nov. 16, ending a five-game home losing streak.
“We wanted to have a really good home game,” Yeo said. “We haven’t had one of those in a while. That was big.”
Revenge Win
The Flyers avenged two previous losses to the Devils, including a 3-0 shutout on Dec. 8. This was their final meeting of the season.
“They’ve had our number,” Yeo said. “We wanted to make sure we played this game with an edge. I thought our guys did that.”
Injuries and Protocols
Devils: D Christian Jaros and C Janne Kuokkanen missed the game due to COVID-19 protocols and a non-COVID illness, respectively.
Flyers: C Morgan Frost left the game in the first period due to COVID-19 protocols and did not return.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
- Flyers: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
