Live blog: Smoke "bomb" delays overtime; Flyers win, 3-2

Jeff Cartrer scored with 1:16 left in overtime to give the Flyers a 3-2 victory over the Devils today at Wachovia Center.

Simon Gagne nearly won it with with 1:46 left in overtime when his shot went off the crossbar and Martin Brodeur reached up to catch the puck with his catching glove.  Someone threw a smoke bomb on the ice in front of the Devils' bench right after the play. All of the players left the bench as it cleared up.

It left a smell of sulfur in the building.

Brian Gionta's first goal of the season -- a power-play tally with 1:43 left in the second period -- had tied the game at 2-2.

Gionta took a feed from Dainius Zubrus behind the goal line and beat goaltender Martin Biron to the stick side. It was Gionta's first goal since March 28 of last season against the Flyers, snapping an 11-game drought.

I hadn't noticed Petr Vrana a lot in the first two periods, but he had a nice scoring chance early in the third. Martin Biron made a blocker save on Vrana's shot from the right circle.

It looks like Brent Sutter wants Colin White with Johnny Oduya now and he's got Andy Greene with Mike Mottau.

The Devils didn't get much accomplished during the Andrew Alberts holding penalty.

That was a big save by Martin Brodeur on Joffrey Lupul with 4:20 left.

***

Scott Hartnell put the Flyers ahead 2-1 with his rebound goal at 9:40 of the second.

The Devils never settled down after Zubrus' charging penalty expired 15 second earlier. Hartnell had a slam dunk from the right post when the puck bounced to him after Martin Brodeur made a left pad save on Jeff Carter's deflection.

Zach Parise had tied it for the Devils 27 seconds into the period by  deflecting in Colin White's wrist shot from the left point.

Parise deflected the puck down in the left circle with his stick roughly at waist height. It was his team-leading sixth goal of the season (in eight games). That ties him for third in the NHL.

Mike Knuble scored on a wraparound at the left post 9:42 into the game to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.

This was some second period. Three fights after one in the first.

Near simultaneous eruptions on fights: Riley Cote downed PL3 and ex-Devil Arron Asham came back to beat Mike Rupp. Rupp and Asham picked up game misconducts for being part of the second altercation.

Things are getting interesting. Dainius Zubrus earned his penalty this time by running over Martin Biron at 7:25 (not sure about calling it charging, though). His interference penalty ealier was bogus. Brian Gionta got into it with Luca Sbisa.

Sheldon Brookbank chimes in with his fight with Hartnell with 7:35 left.

Paul Martin is struggling today.

**

On Knuble's goal, he appeared to outmuscle goaltender Martin Brodeur, who intially stopped the puck with the paddle of his stick. Knuble kept pushing, though, and eventually got the puck to go in off the inside of Brodeur's left leg. Slow reaction by the Devils defense. Mike Mottau was there, but too late to do anything.

It looks like Devils coach Brent Sutter is putting all of his eggs in one basket playing Patrik Elias at right wing  on a line with Zach Parise and Travis Zajac. Sutter said before the game that David Clarkson would play with Parise and Zajac, but Clarkson played initially at right wing on a line withe Petr Vrana on the left wing and Dainius Zubrus at center and then moved to play with Jay Pandolfo and John Madden on the checking line. Brian Gionta moved from the checking line to play with Vrana and Zubrus.

Sheldon Brookbank is skating at right wing on the fourth line with Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Mike Rupp.

That was a payback boarding for Riley Cote on Leblond. It looked as bad as Leblond's on Friday night, though, and didn't get the major.

The Devils wasted two early power plays. In fact, the Flyers had the better scoring chances though they were shorthanded.

Wow, Rupp started slowly in that fight with Cote, but delivered about three or four solid rights to come back and win it.

Colin White was not wearing an A during warm-ups, but has one on now.

***

Here are the starting lineups for today's game.

DEVILS

Forwards: Zach Parise-Travis Zajac-Patrik Elias. Defense: Bryce Salvador-Paul Martin. Goaltender: Martin Brodeur.

FLYERS

Forwards: Scottie Upshall-Jeff Carter-Andreas Nodl. Defense: Braydon Coburn-Kimmo Timonen. Goaltender: Martin Biron.

***

As I posted earlier, Devils' captain Jamie Langenbrunner won't play in today's game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wachovia Center because of a lower body injury -- likely a left knee bruise.

Defenseman Sheldon Brookbank, who will play in his first game of the season, skated at right wing during warm-ups on the fourth line with Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Mike Rupp. 

Martin Brodeur will start in net for the Devils again. Martin Biron gets the call again for Philadelphia, too.

It appears thet Devils are going with just two A's --Patrik Elias and John Madden -- and no C with Langenbrunner out.

I'll be putting up my observations and any news on this post during the game.

Here's the Devils' lineup for today's game.

Forwards: Patrik Elias-Dainius Zubrus-Petr Vrana; Zach Parise-Travis Zajac-David Clarkson; Jay Pandolfo-John Madden-Brian Gionta; Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond-Mike Rupp-Sheldon Brookbank.

Defensemen: Bryce Salvador-Paul Martin; Coln White-Mike Mottau; Johnny Oduya-Andy Greene.

Goaltender: Martin Brodeur.

Healthy scratches: none.

Injured:RW Jamie Langenbrunner (lower body), C Bobby Holik (fractured right pinky), C/RW Brian Rolston (high right ankle sprain). 

Comments

[modnarm]

we have a pretty bushleague team right now compared to our healthy team. ...
Rolston, Holik, Langenbrunner.. Vrana, PL3, Brookbank.. huge dropoff. Vrana and PL3 r good in their own respect.. but when all 3 r in the forward lineup .. it really thins us out a bit.

[Shari]

Is it the knee that He had surgery on a couple of yrs back? just wondering.

[Shari]

I thought the game is on MSG + today. why the Hell are they still showing football? come on!

[Jill]

yeah the game isn't on. I am NOT happy! they better put it on soon!!

[dhoch08]

Yea it even says on the bottom line its supposed to be on. Why aren't they switching?! I'm on hold with cablevision, anyone else have any info???

[KNUCKLEPUCK HEAD]

GAME ON !

[dhoch08]

FINALLY!

[Phil.happyhour]

Yeah I got football too. I checked the carry over station and there was nothing there.

Oh they just switched it over.

[Shari]

Ok Folks Comcast just switched over to the game Pheew!

[Jeff]

Yeah very annoying!!!! They could atleast switch the game over to MSG until this waste of life college football game is over

[Shari]

Crisis averted.

[K]

Just keep shooting, just keep shooting...

[Jason]

Marty needs to stop playing the puck. The game has changed, the rules have changed, and he is unable to be effective as a 3rd d-man. He doesnt seem to get any kind of loft or leverage on his moves, and he just ends up turning it over. He cost us one there, 100% on him.

[Shari]

The pp reaked and the Dev's look kind of poopish so far.

[Hattrick]

Knuble again..............

[Hattrick]

Why was cote's penalty only 2 min........?!

[KNUCKLEPUCK HEAD]

Colin White seems to be really good at retrieving the puck from back of our own net for the refs..

[Shari]

It looked like Marty bounced it right off of Whites skate and right to a Flyer on that one.

[Jason]

btw, i know ill get flamed for criticizing his highness, but i challenge you to watch him, and how many times he plays the puck and it results in a turnover, when a Dman was in the area who could have walked it out.

[Brodie30]

I'd really like an explanation from the league on why Lebond's (well deserved) boarding penalty last night was five minutes and Cote's was not. I know they are different referees, but I'm getting really tired of the double standard always working against the Devils. Maybe Leblond should have acted all woozy like Cote did.

[mikeK]

TG- Is this the same officiating crew as last night, or a different one?

[Shari]

I wondered why it was only 2 Myself, Blondie got 5 and it was an accidental boarding I think anyway, Cote boarded Him on purpose as payback.

[NJD26]

TG, can you explain why Sutter likes Mottau-White as a defensive pairing? They're the two slowest defensemen on the team and continually get burned by speed. White should be with Oduya and Mottau with Greene on the third pairing.

[Dan]

I just noticed Whitey is wearing an A

[Shari]

not that I didn't think that Blondie deserved that penalty, boarding should not be tolerated at all but to do it clearly on purpose. get Him Rupper!