Facing a team three times in less than two weeks can lead to some animosity. The 26 combined penalty minutes in the second period showed how true that can be. But it also gives each team a good idea on how to beat the other.
The Flyers were on the winning side of the two previous games against the Devils. But New Jersey used what has made them successful this season to blow Philadelphia out by a score of 5-0.
Sam Ersson, after earning the nod to play for Team Sweden, was pulled after allowing four goals on 16 shots. However, it was not nearly his fault. The early pull, according to John Tortorella, was more to get Ivan Fedotov some work in the net.
Second period collapse
The first period was rather quiet as neither team was able to get anything past the other goaltender. But the floodgates opened up in the second period. Unfortunately for the Flyers, none of those goals came their way.
After shutting down one of the best power plays in the league in the previous two matchups, the Flyers could not contain the Devils' man-advantage unit in this one. New Jersey struck twice, finishing 2/3 on the night. They found themselves pinned in their zone and unable to clear the puck when given the opportunity. Even after blocking shots, the Devils maintained possession and created chaos in the crease.
The Flyers weren't able to handle the quick transition and succumbed to the Devils pressure, allowing the latter to come away with the puck more often than not. The Devils got some bounces at times, but that comes with the territory of having the puck more than the other team.
Well, doesn't this look familiar 👀 pic.twitter.com/owq5hefqPe
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 30, 2025
Owen Tippett suffers injury
The second period turned chippy after Owen Tippett took an open-ice hit in the neutral zone from Brendan Dillon. While he was able to get up under his own power, Tippett would immediately leave the ice. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game. There has been no update on his status.
Brenden Dillon delivers a big hit on Owen Tippett, who immediately heads to the Flyers' locker room. pic.twitter.com/TUX2MiG7wM
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 30, 2025
On the play, it appears Travis Sanheim was looking to hit Tippett with a stretch pass, but it ended up going behind his skates. Dillon was able to catch Tippett unaware with a solid check to the shoulder as the Flyers' forward was looking for the puck.
Losing a player of Tippett's caliber for any amount of time is a detriment to the Flyers' offense. The streaky forward had come around after a tough stretch earlier in the season.
The Flyers will be back in action against the Islanders in the second half of another back-to-back. Philadelphia is 1-7-0 in such contests.