Flyers Beat Devils, 3-0
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Ilya Bryzgalov made 20 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers spoiled another home opener with a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
The Flyers started the season on Thursday with a 2-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins in Boston. Philadelphia improved to 2-0 with the victory at the Prudential Center.
Claude Giroux, Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds provided the goals to support Bryzgalov, the Flyers major offseason signing. It was his 24th career shutout and improved his record against New Jersey to 2-1-0.
The Flyers win spoiled Peter DeBoer's debut as Devils coach.
Martin Brodeur made 26 saves for New Jersey.
Giroux, scoring for the second time in as many games, gave the Flyers the lead at 12:05 of the first period with a shot from the right hash mark following a backhand pass by James van Riemsdyk from the corner.
The Flyers almost got a second goal in the closing seconds of the period when Andreas Nodl had a short-handed breakaway, only be denied by Brodeur's glove save.
Philadelphia continued to have the better chances in the scoreless second period. Brodeur made a pad save on Sean Couturier to deny a 2-on-0 break, and later came up big on a close-in bid by van Riemsdyk.
The Devils generated pressure in the closing seconds as Petr Sykora put a sharp-angled shot on Bryzgalov.
Read got his first NHL goal at 2:41 of the third to put the Flyers up 2-0. Taking a centering feed from Scott Hartnell, Read beat fired a shot from the slot that glanced off Brodeur's shoulder on it's way into the net.
Only six seconds later, Patrik Elias was whistled for tripping and Devils managed to kill off the penalty.
By then the momentum had swung decisively in the Flyers favor. Simmonds fought his way to the crease to poke a shot past Brodeur at 4:50, giving the Flyers a 3-0 lead.
NOTES: Brodeur made a 17th straight opening-night start for the Devils. ... The New Jersey scratches were D Mark Fraser, C Rod Pelley and RW Cam Janssen...The Philadelphia scratches were D Matt Walker and LW Jody Shelley. ... Philadelphia was 0-for-8 on the power play; the Devils went 0-for-5.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
