Devils lull Flyers to sleep

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It was a classic New Jersey Devils performance, with the Devils lulling the Philadelphia Flyers to sleep early in the game. The Flyers eventually perked up in the second period, and found an equalizer on the power play in the third. There were no even-strength goals scored in this game, which is hardly surprising given the defensive nature of the game.

With the lack of chances and goals at even-strength, there were few memorable performances for the Flyers in this game. The chart shows a pretty even game from the Flyers' top-nine forwards, with the fourth line being relegated to limited duty. In terms of actual shots on goal, the Claude Giroux line had many more opportunities than the other lines. Even then it didn't feel like many scoring chances other than a shift here or there in the third period.

Defense

The headlines for the Flyers defense after this game both concern the top pair. Shayne Gostisbehere extended his point streak to 11-games, setting a Flyers rookie record, and an NHL rookie record. Aside from scoring the Flyers only goal, Ghost also led the team in shots. His job is about to get more interesting because his partner Michael Del Zotto left with an injury and will be out for at least a few weeks. Andrew MacDonald has been called up from the Phantoms to fill in.

After the top pair, the remaining defensemen split duty to about equal results, echoing the forwards. I presume those pairs are going to remain together even with the Del Zotto injury, and the Flyers defense will look even more egalitarian. Whatever Dave Hakstol's solution, it won't be easy for the Flyers to make a move for a playoff spot.

Marc Naples is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter@SuperScrub47