NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The New Jersey Devils were angry, and they took out their frustration on a longtime nemesis.
A little more than 24 hours after general manager Ray Shero publicly challenged his team, Cory Schneider made 16 saves in his first shutout of the season as the Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 on Thursday night to stop a seven-game losing streak.
P.A. Parenteau, Miles Wood, Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri scored for New Jersey, which won for the first time since defeating Vancouver 3-2 on Dec. 6.
“It was a character win,” Seth Helgeson said. “Throughout the entire game, everyone was sticking up for each other. It wasn’t one guy. It was the whole team.”
The shutout was the 22nd of Schneider’s career, and first in 45 games. His previous one came on Jan. 16 last season, a 2-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
Schneider’s 16 saves were the second-fewest he has made in a shutout. He had 15 in the Devils’ 1-0 win over Buffalo on Nov. 30, 2013.
“(The) shutout is nice, but the only reason a shutout is good is because it probably means you won the game,” Schneider said. “So that’s what’s important, especially with the slide we - and I, personally - (have) been on.”
Entering the game, New Jersey (13-13-7) and Philadelphia (20-12-4) were on significantly different trajectories. The Devils had dropped 12 of 15, while the Flyers had won 11 of their last 13.
Following a 10-game winning streak, Philadelphia has lost three of four.
“Look at our last two or three,” Brandon Manning said. “We want to be better.”
New Jersey broke through on Parenteau’s power-play goal at 7:40 of the first period.
Parenteau was stationed in front of the net when Mike Cammalleri’s drive from the top of the right circle ricocheted off him and past Flyers goalie Steve Mason.
The lead grew to 2-0 almost 6 minutes later when Wood jammed a loose puck under Mason, who was replaced by Anthony Stolarz before the start of the second.
Mason allowed two goals on eight shots, and Stolarz finished with 12 saves.
“I haven’t talked to (Mason),” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said when asked if Mason was injured. “I just talked to (head trainer Jim McCrossin) and we made the switch.”
Schneider’s toughest stop came 5:47 into the second period when he made a diving glove save on Michael Raffl’s stuff attempt to keep the score 2-0. Replays showed the puck never crossed the goal line, but Hakstol used his coach’s challenge. The call on the ice was upheld.
“I felt confident it would be no goal,” Schneider said. “I felt like I got it in time.”
Henrique’s goal 7:52 after Schneider’s save essentially sealed it. The sequence began with Cammalleri making a stretch pass to Taylor Hall, who chipped the puck to Parenteau along the half boards. Parenteau found Hall behind the goal line, who in turn set up Henrique in the slot for his eighth of the season.
Palmieri’s power-play goal with 1:12 left ended the scoring.
New Jersey outshot the Flyers 22-16. The Devils went 2 for 6 on the man advantage and killed off both Philadelphia power plays.
“This was probably the worst game we played all year,” Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds said. “There’s no excuses. Nothing. We have to make sure we’re better.”
NOTES: Raffl left the game with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss one to two weeks, the Flyers said. … In the first period, Helgeson fought Philadelphia’s Dale Weise. Before the teams left the ice for the first intermission, Cammalleri paired off with Nick Cousins. … Before the game, New Jersey announced C Jacob Josefson was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 17, with a concussion. The Devils called up Helgeson in the corresponding move, and he dressed in place of D Kyle Quincey, who was scratched. … Along with Quincey, New Jersey scratched RW Devante Smith-Pelley and RW Nick Lappin. . D Mark Streit, D Nick Schultz and C Boyd Gordon were scratched by the Flyers. … The game was the first of five this season between the Metropolitan Division rivals. … The announced attendance was 16,514.
UP NEXT
Flyers: Off until next Wednesday, when they travel to St. Louis for a game against the Blues.
Devils: Play at Pittsburgh on Friday night.
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