Mackenzie Blackwood made 46 saves for his second shutout of the season, and Miles Wood scored twice as the New Jersey Devils dominated the Philadelphia Flyers with a 5-0 victory on Thursday night.
Blake Coleman, Damon Severson, and Pavel Zacha also found the net for New Jersey, while Blackwood, a rookie, improved his record to 16-12-7. The Flyers were relentless in the second and third periods, outshooting the Devils 37-9, but Blackwood stood tall, with a little help from the posts, as three Philadelphia shots rang off the iron.
“That was pretty cool,” Blackwood said. “It’s one of those games where things just go your way. The guys did an excellent job boxing out and handling things.”
This game marked the first time the Flyers were shut out in a game where they recorded 46 or more shots since a 48-shot, 3-0 home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on February 15, 1969.
“We had a lot of shots tonight, but I don’t think anyone is happy with that performance,” Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “We know we can be better. We have been better. We just have to show it again on Saturday.”
Philadelphia goaltender Brian Elliott was pulled early in the third period after allowing four goals on 16 shots. Alex Lyon replaced him and conceded Wood’s second goal of the night.
“In an 82-game schedule, there’s no excuses,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. “But some nights, you’re going to get games like this. We got a bad one tonight. We need to go home, sleep, come to work tomorrow, have a good practice, and get ready for one of the top teams in the league (at Washington on Saturday).”
The Devils wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Coleman scoring just 13 seconds into the game. His backhand shot from the slot slipped between Elliott’s pads for his 20th goal of the season.
“It can take the wind out of their sails, obviously, scoring on the first shot,” Coleman said. “More importantly, it speaks to how we’re getting off to quick starts in the periods. Anytime you can put a team on their heels early, it will create that confidence and put a little doubt in their minds. We took advantage of the opportunities we had.”
Severson added a power-play goal early in the second period with a wrist shot from the left circle that sailed over Elliott’s right shoulder and into the top corner of the net.
New Jersey put the game out of reach early in the third. Zacha scored on an odd-man rush at 1:10 for his sixth season goal. Wood added a shorthanded goal on a breakaway just over three minutes later to make it 4-0. He followed up later in the period with his 10th goal of the season, splitting two Flyers defenders and firing it between Lyon’s legs.
“Tonight, I felt like we did a great job,” Wood said. “We got the first goal and kept on trying to score. Our foot was on the gas for a full three periods.”
Game Notes:
- Philadelphia’s Joel Farabee was sidelined due to complications from the flu and is listed as day-to-day.
- Jakub Voracek played in his 900th NHL game, and Flyers captain Claude Giroux extended his consecutive game streak to 300.
- Blackwood recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Severson’s goal.
- New Jersey snapped a three-game losing streak to Philadelphia.
UP NEXT:
- Devils: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
- Flyers: Visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
