The New Jersey Devils took a 3-1 lead in their second round 2012 NHL Playoffs series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night, and are now one win away from moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Devils outshot the Flyers 43-22 on the night, on their way to a 4-2 victory.
The scoreboard doesn't quite reflect how lopsided the game was. The Flyers' trademark hard nose defense was seemingly nonexistent, as the Devils repeatedly earned open shots on goal. Ilya Bryzgalov was Philadelphia's lone bright spot on the night, recording 39 saves to keep his team within striking distance.
Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a powerplay goal by Scott Hartnell followed by a shorthanded goal by Claude Giroux. The Devils dominated afterwards behind goals by Petr Sykora, Marek Zidlicky and Dainius Zubrus. Zubrus scored twice on the night, the second on an empty net assisted by Martin Brodeur. The goaltender recorded 20 saves and earned the win on his 40th birthday.
Zubrus took a nasty blow to the head at the end of the second period from Giroux. Zubrus was able to return to the ice. Giroux was booked for an illegal check, and could face disciplinary action from the league.
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