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National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New Jersey 4, Philadelphia 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, May 6, 2012
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Steve Kozari, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: Jay Sharrers, Shane Heyer
Attendance: 17625


DEVILS 4, FLYERS 2: Dainius Zubrus burned his former team by scoring twice and Martin Brodeur celebrated his 40th birthday in style as host New Jersey won Game 4 to seize a commanding 3-1 edge in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Defenseman Marek Zidlicky and veteran Petr Sykora collected a goal and an assist apiece for the sixth-seeded Devils, who enjoyed a decisive 43-22 edge in shots on goal.

New Jersey will look to eliminate its Atlantic Division rival on Tuesday in Philadelphia. The Devils have not lost a postseason series in which they held a 3-1 edge, while the Flyers rallied from a 3-0 deficit in 2010 (vs. Boston).

New Jersey snapped a 2-2 deadlock after its aggressive forecheck allowed Calder Trophy finalist Adam Henrique to feed Zubrus, who wristed a shot from the slot past Ilya Bryzgalov. Zubrus' tally ended a 10-game goalless drought.

Brodeur held the fort from there, stopping all 10 shots in the third period. The future Hall of Famer, who finished with 20 saves, also picked up an assist on Zubrus' empty-net goal.

After Claude Giroux's shorthanded goal gave the fifth-seeded Flyers a 2-0 lead, Sykora answered just 94 seconds later after directing Zidlicky's feed at the doorstep past Bryzgalov.

Zidlicky tied the game nearly three minutes later with his first career postseason goal.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brodeur made his 181st consecutive postseason start, dating back to 1994. He improved to 2-2 when playing on his birthday. ... The Flyers selected Zubrus with the 15th overall pick of the 1996 draft. ... Bryzgalov finished with 39 saves. ... Philadelphia fell to 3-1 while playing on Sundays in the postseason. ... The Flyers dropped to 1-5 when they score the first goal in the postseason. They are 4-0 when the opponent nets the initial goal.

Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   New Jersey
Claude Giroux 2 Points Dainius Zubrus 2
Claude Giroux 1 Goals Dainius Zubrus 2
Claude Giroux 1 Assists Petr Sykora 1
Scott Hartnell 1 Power Play Goals Petr Sykora 1
Claude Giroux 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Ilya Bryzgalov .929 Save Percentage Martin Brodeur .909
Ilya Bryzgalov 39 Saves Martin Brodeur 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Philadelphia 22 2 1-2 4-5 10 40
New Jersey 43 4 1-5 1-2 4 24
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Devils have a W/L % of .604 after a win and .559 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Flyers have a W/L % of .426 after a win and .771 after a loss.