FLYERS NEWS

The Flyers faced off with the New Jersey Devils tonight at the Wachovia Center for the right to take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic division. Sadly, as they have all season the Devils pounded the Flyers into the submission for a crushing defeat. In the end the difference on the night was the power play. The Devils scored 5 power play goals in 7 chances, while the Flyers managed just 2 in 8 chances. That just won't get it done against the Devils. The 1st period of play was a back and forth tussle. Danny Briere scored early in the period for a 1-0 Flyers lead. Johnny Oduya answered on the power play to knot it at 1. Mike Knuble briefly put the Flyers back ahead 2-1, then New Jersery, reeled off two late power play goals by Jamie Langenbrunner and former Flyer Dainius Zubrus for a 3-2 lead heading into the break. Late in the 2nd period Patrick Elias and Zach Parise scored 2 more Devils power play goals for a 5-2 lead, before Jeff Carter tapped in a power play goal in the final seconds of the period to cut the lead to 5-3 heading into the 3rd period. There Parise and Elias did it again, this time at even strength early in the period for an insurmountable 7-3 lead. Not surprisingly that's the way it ended with a 7-3 Devils victory. So the Flyers drop to 26-16-5 and back down into 3rd place in the Atlantic division.