Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Mike Richards had four assists while Scott Hartnell scored twice as the Philadelphia Flyers got their first win of the season at an unlikely place, in a 6-3 defeat of the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
Philadelphia, which had started the season 0-3-3, got its first win in New Jersey since March 9, 2004 as Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul each contributed a goal and an assist in the win. The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak at New Jersey.
"We worked hard to get this win tonight," said Richards. "We never quit and never got down on each other. It just shows the character of this team and it's nice to get this first one under our belt."
Martin Biron gave up three goals in the first period, but blanked New Jersey over the next two periods as he made 23 saves for Philadelphia, which has never gone seven games into a season without a win.
The Flyers got some bad news before the game as the team found out that forward Daniel Briere has a torn abdominal muscle that will require surgery. He will miss the next three-to-four weeks.
Zach Parise had a goal and two assists while Martin Brodeur was shelled for five goals on 27 shots for the Devils, who lost for just the second time this season.
This was the opener of a home-and-home series as these squads will meet in Philadelphia on Saturday.
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Trailing by a goal in the second period, Philadelphia scored twice to take the lead into the third.
On the power play, Knuble's shot from the left circle was stopped, but the rebound went out front, where Simon Gagne shot it past Brodeur to tie the game with 8:03 left in the second.
About five minutes later, the Flyers took a 4-3 lead as Richards fought for control of the puck behind the net, skated out front and threw a shot that Brodeur stopped, but Hartnell knocked home the rebound.
Biron needed to make only four saves in the second period to keep the Flyers in the contest.
New Jersey pressured Philadelphia through much of the third period to try for the next goal, but Biron made the saves he needed and the team got some insurance.
Richards flew down the left side with the puck and from the low left circle he threw it out front where Lupul redirected it past Brodeur for a 5-3 lead with 8:38 to play.
Hartnell's empty-net goal with 1:56 to play sealed the win for Philadelphia.
"We knew they were going to come out hard and play that type of game," Brodeur said. "We got off to a good start and gave it back right away. It was a weird game. After the first, we're up 3-2, try to settle things down, but we just let them play the way they wanted to play. They took advantage."
The teams started the scoring quickly as each side got on the board within the first two minutes.
New Jersey scored just 47 seconds into the contest as Travis Zajac had the puck behind the net and flicked it out front, where it hit off of Philadelphia's Braydon Coburn and got past Biron.
Philadelphia, though, scored just 63 seconds later as Jeff Carter took the puck into the zone, went to the outside and from the right circle fired a laser past the glove of Brodeur.
Skating on a five-minute power play after a boarding call on Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, the Flyers took a 2-1 lead. Richards skated the puck into the New Jersey end and dished it to the low right circle for Knuble, who bulled his way to the net and got the puck underneath Brodeur for his first goal of the season at the 11:25 mark of the first.
New Jersey, though, scored the next two goals to take a 3-2 lead into the first intermission.
On the power play, Parise fired a quick pass from the low right circle to the front of the net where Dainius Zubrus jammed it in with 4:51 left in the first.
In the dying moments of the opening period, New Jersey won a left circle faceoff and Parise found himself all alone by the side of the net where he stuffed the puck past Biron with just 18.2 left on the clock.
