The New Jersey Devils will try to put a halt to their first rough patch of the season when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at Newark, N.J.
The Devils have lost three straight (0-2-1) for the first time this season after falling 4-1 to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
“Just got to harp on that we’re a good team,” forward Erik Haula said. “We win the next two games, we still win the week, we get more points than we lost. I just think we’ve got to prepare here, we’ve got to realize that we’ve lost three in a row. Be a little bit angry, disappointed, and be ready to put our best game out there against Philly.”
It’s only the third time this season that New Jersey has been limited to one goal, with the first time coming when the Toronto Maple Leafs ended the club’s 13-game winning streak on Nov. 23.
The Devils also have been one of the top teams defensively through the first two months of the season, allowing just 2.45 goals per game.
They have allowed a combined 18 goals in their past four losses, with at least four goals against in each outing.
“I feel like we’ve been a pretty good scoring team all year. I don’t think it’s necessarily about what we need to do offensively, I think it’s more about what we need to do defensively. That’s where I’d start,” Haula said.
The Flyers arrive in New Jersey for the finale of a four-game road trip that began with contests against the Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche. They earned points with overtime losses to Vegas and Arizona before coming up on the short end of a 3-2 regulation defeat against Colorado on Tuesday.
“We had some momentum there at the end (of the second period) with our forecheck and that led to the third,” forward Kevin Hayes said. “I thought we had a pretty good third but ultimately didn’t do enough to win.”
Philadelphia has won only twice in its past 18 games, going 2-11-5 during that stretch. But the club has been able to find some promising moments of late, scoring late with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker in each of their past two games.
“If you take a positive away, it’s two games in a row, it shows that we don’t quit,” Hayes said. “We fight to the last whistle there as a team. There’s no give-up in this room.”
Defenseman Cam York has been a bright spot for the Flyers since he was recalled last Thursday. The 21-year-old has shown confidence on the ice in the three games he’s played after starting the season in the American Hockey League.
Coach John Tortorella turned to York late in the game against the Coyotes, and the latter delivered with his first goal of the season. It was his second straight game surpassing 20 minutes of ice time.
“He’s not afraid to make a play,” Tortorella said. “Really like his legs as far as creating offense. I just like his demeanor right now on the ice. He’s trying to make a difference.”
–Field Level Media
