Newark, NJ (Sports Network) – Travis Zajac scored the game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout as New Jersey clipped Philadelphia, 2-1, at Prudential Center.
With each team having scored once, Mike Richards began the fourth and final round by clanging his wrister off the post. Zajac followed up with the clincher, a shot which hit the right post, slipped under the crossbar and exited the net quickly.
Adam Mair tallied in regulation for the Devils, who recovered nicely from dropping a 2-0 decision on Friday to the New York Islanders.
Johan Hedberg posted his best performance of the season, stopping 40-of-41 shots.
Danny Briere netted a third-period power-play goal for the Flyers, who have lost back-to-back shootouts on consecutive days.
Brian Boucher was the hard-luck loser with 24 saves.
New Jersey controlled play early on, but wasted a four-minute power play that came less than two minutes in. The home team finally hit the socreboard with 8:11 to play in the first when Mair hit the left pipe from the right wing at a sharp angle.
In a scoreless middle 20 minutes, Hedberg made 14 saves and Boucher needed to make just six stops. Hedberg’s best came roughly midway through the period, when he anticipated a stick move from Ville Leino, and dove in front of his crease to cover the puck.
Boucher was forced to make a glove stop on Ilya Kovalchuk three minutes into the third period, then Hedberg dove out once more to smother an open Jeff Carter chance roughly 30 seconds later.
Philadelphia got a power play prior to the eight-minute mark and Briere cashed in when he managed to slip a shot past Hedberg at the left post at 8:38.
Kovalchuk fanned on his chance in close during a 2-on-1 rush with two minutes remaining in overtime, then failed to control the puck on two ensuing rushes.
The Flyers took five of six meetings with the Devils a season ago, including two of three in Newark…Philadelphia’s power play, which sputtered at an 0- for-16 and 1-for-32 clip coming in, finished 1-of-2…Devils forward Patrik Elias was a late scratch for personal reasons…Hedberg’s previous top performance in terms of saves came when he stopped 38 in a 5-4 shootout loss to Buffalo on November 10.