The Philadelphia Flyers fell behind 3-1 in their second round 2012 NHL Playoffs series with a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 on Sunday night. The Flyers are now just one loss away from ending their season in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They were outshot 43-22 on the night.
The scoreboard doesn't quite reflect how lopsided the game was. The Flyers' trademark hard nose defense was seemingly nonexistent, as the Devils repeatedly earned open shots on goal. What's more, Philadelphia was very careless with the puck giving it away 20 times to just five for New Jersey. Ilya Bryzgalov was Philadelphia's lone bright spot on the night, recording 39 saves to keep his team within striking distance.
Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a powerplay goal by Scott Hartnell followed by a shorthanded goal by Claude Giroux. The Devils dominated afterwards behind goals by Petr Sykora, Marek Zidlicky and Dainius Zubrus. Zubrus scored twice on the night, the second on an empty net assisted by Martin Brodeur. The goaltender recorded 20 saves and earned the win on his 40th birthday.
Zubrus took a nasty blow to the head at the end of the second period from Giroux. Zubrus was able to return to the ice. Giroux was booked for an illegal check, and could face disciplinary action from the league.
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