Sean Couturier channeled a move made famous by Swedish star Peter Forsberg in the 1994 Olympics to lift the Philadelphia Flyers past the New Jersey Devils in a thrilling 4-3 shootout win.
Couturier scored both in regulation and in the shootout, using a slick backhand shot that mirrored Forsberg’s iconic move. In the shootout, he skated down the center, drew the goalie to one side, and then tucked the puck into the net with a smooth backhand.
“Everyone knows that move from Forsberg,” Couturier said. “We mess around with shootouts at the end of practice, which I hadn’t used on him yet, so I think I caught him off guard. I’ve done it in practice but never in a game.”
Oskar Lindblom and Joel Farabee also scored for Philadelphia, while Carter Hart made 23 saves.
Wayne Simmonds, Sami Vatanen, and Taylor Hall scored for the Devils, with Mackenzie Blackwood stopping 28 shots.
Farabee’s first career NHL goal tied the game at 3-3 at 8:31 of the third period, forcing overtime. His goal came after a wraparound attempt by Michael Raffl bounced out to him, and he fired it in from the point.
“It felt great to get that first goal finally,” Farabee said. “I’ve been pressing hard, so it’s nice to get that off my back.”
Farabee nearly ended the game in overtime, but his rebound attempt was kicked away. Blackwood also made a key glove save on Claude Giroux to extend the game.
Hall gave the Devils a 3-2 lead midway through the third period, sliding a shot past Hart while being pushed into the goalpost by Justin Braun.
“I just tried to get my stick on it and see what happens,” Hall said. “It was nice to see that one go in, especially in a season where the goals haven’t come easy for me.”
Simmonds opened the scoring with a power-play goal against his former team at 6:24 of the first period, assisted by Jack Hughes.
Later in the first period, the Devils turned the puck over at center ice, allowing Lindblom to score for the Flyers. Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier assisted.
The Devils appeared to take a 2-1 lead when Nico Hischier scored on a rebound, but the goal was waved off.
“They told me it wasn’t reviewable because our shot went under him, which made the difference,” Devils coach John Hynes explained.
Jack Hughes, the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft, left the ice after a hard hit by Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen but returned in the second period after clearing concussion protocol.
Couturier put the Flyers ahead 2-1 at 8:26 of the second period after a failed clearing attempt by the Devils. His shot deflected off Devils defenseman Matt Tennyson and into the net.
The Devils tied it up again with 5:32 left in the second when Sami Vatanen scored on a power play assisted by Nico Hischier.
Game Notes:
- The Devils acquired goaltender Louis Domingue from Tampa Bay for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
- Carter Hart shut out the Devils 4-0 on Oct. 9, making 25 saves for Philadelphia.
- Flyers’ first-round pick in 2016, C German Rubtsov, made his NHL debut.
- Simmonds had three assists in his last game against the Flyers.
- Vatanen already has four goals this season, matching his total from 50 games last year.
- The Flyers called up three players from the minors, including D Phil Myers, C German Rubtsov, and F Carsen Twarynski, while placing F Scott Laughton on long-term injured reserve.
UP NEXT:
- Flyers: Host Toronto on Saturday night.
- Devils: Begin a five-game road trip at Carolina on Saturday night.
