Hughes Brothers Help Devils Down Flyers in OT

For 53 minutes, the new netminder wearing No. 53 did everything he could to will the Philadelphia Flyers to a win. But there was no stopping golden boy Jack Hughes on a two-on-one in overtime.

The middle of the three Hughes brothers was the hero in overtime for the New Jersey Devils after the youngest of the Hughes brothers, Luke Hughes, tied the game in the third in a 3-2 loss on Thursday night at Prudential Center.

How It Happened

The Flyers got their first goal of the season to open things up at 11:12 of the first period. Rasmus Ristolainen scored on a deflection during a delayed penalty call, tipping the shot by Travis Sanheim to make it 1-0.

Through 20 minutes, shots were 14-6 Devils.

For most of the second, Joseph Woll was the difference. But the Devils finally solved the Flyers' netminder late in the period. Dougie Hamilton tied the game at one with 2:02 to go in the period.

After two periods, shots were 30-14 Devils.

The Flyers took the lead again at 5:33 of the third. Sanheim fired a rocket past Jake Allen to make it 2-1 with his first of the season. The Devils got the goal back off a defensive breakdown at 9:44, allowing Luke Hughes to walk into the slot and fire a shot home to make it 2-2.

In overtime, a turnover sent the Devils the other way with Jack Hughes leading the charge. A quick give-and-go with Jesper Bratt and the puck was in the back of the net to give the Devils the win.

Box Score

1st Period

PHI Rasmus Ristolainen (1) (Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny) 11:12

2nd Period

NJ Dougie Hamilton (1) (Unassisted) 17:58

3rd Period

PHI Sanheim (1) (Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett) 5:33
NJ Luke Hughes (1) (Luke Evangelista) 9:44

Overtime

NJ Jack Hughes (1) (Jesper Bratt) 3:23

By the Numbers

Shots: Flyers: 25, Devils: 44
Power Play: Flyers: 0-for-1, Devils: 0-for-4
Faceoffs: Flyers: 50%, Devils: 50%
Goalies: PHI Joseph Woll: 41 saves on 44 shots, NJ Jake Allen: 23 saves on 25 shots

Key Performers

⭐ Jack Hughes — Jack Hughes was all over the place in this game, dangerous at all times. It's almost shocking the Flyers kept him off the scoresheet during regulation, but he got the last laugh in overtime.

⭐⭐ Joseph Woll — The reason the Flyers got a point. Woll was stellar, standing tall against a shooting gallery all night and making some outstanding saves along the way. He may not get a win out of it, but he showed the Flyers have clearly improved their goaltending depth.

⭐⭐⭐ Luke Hughes — Scored the game-tying goal in third and looked quick all game. It's an important year for the youngest Hughes brother, and he got off to a great start.

The Takeaway

It was better than Wednesday, but then again, anything would have been. The Flyers stayed in there and did manage a point, largely due to their goaltender, but it wasn't enough in the end.

The Flyers had better structure and the penalty kill was improved from the previous night. But they still have a ton to clean up, notably anytime a puck comes near them. They look tentative, slow, unsure of themselves, and that just leads to turnovers, breakdowns, and mistakes.

The Flyers didn't pay for those near as much in this game as the opener, but with a tough road ahead on the schedule, this might look ugly for a while before it gets better.