Haula Plays Overtime Hero in Win Over Philly | GAME STORY

Philadelphia, PA - Tonight the Devils weren't the same offensive juggernaut against the Flyers as they were in the opening preseason game, but instead they showed the Flyers they can beat them multiple ways.

On Saturday night in Philadelphia, it was with a 3-2 overtime win. Despite the Flyers tying the game up with less than four minutes to play in the game, the Devils got it done off of Erik Haula's stick in overtime for the 3-2 victory. played hero, potting the game-winner in overtime.

It was a night where the penalty killers were loaded with work and executed flawlessly, going 3-for-3 on the kill.

"I thought our penalty killing was really good," head coach Lindy Ruff said post-game, "I thought they generated some good opportunities, did a good job killing and that was probably the highlight of the game."

Despite the Flyers opening the game's scoring on a goal by Wade Allison, the Devils responded with two of their own in the first period.

Curtis Lazar cashed in a rebound off a give-and-go with Tyce Thompson, and Alexander Holtz struck with a heads-up play through the slot for New Jersey's two goals tonight, continuing on a perfect 4-0-0 preseason with three games left to play.

"It's an awesome feeling right now," Holtz said post-game "I feel like we have a really good team here, it's really good we can win in different kinds of ways too. Sometimes it won't be a 6-1 game, it's nice to get these hard wins as well."

Here are some observations from the game:

* Vitek Vanecek played his first full game of the preseason, making 28 saves on 31 shots and was sharp in net.

"I thought Vitek had a great night," Ruff said, "He had to make a lot of good saves. I thought for a period of time in the second we were going pretty good, but I thought the third period was all (Philadelphia's)."

* You never know if the chemistry will carry over from one game to the next, let alone one season to the next, but in tonight's game, it appeared as though the chemistry between Erik Haula and Dawson Mercer has not waned one bit. In the first period, the two players were part of two penalty kills where they found themselves on the offensive side of a 2-on-1, with Haula's getting a shot off on Carter Hart.

* The penalty kill won't be credited for a shorthanded goal, but it was what started the first goal of the night for New Jersey. With Tyce Thompson in the box for a trip and with time ticking down on his penalty, Thompson sprung from the box into the defensive zone where Curtis Lazar went down on one knee to block a shot. The block popped the puck out of the zone and sent Thompson and Lazar off on a 2-on-0. Even from the press box, you couldn't tell who was going to end up shooting, with several passing plays between the two. In the end, it was Thompson who took the shot on Hart, and Lazar, with a nose for the net, cleaned up the rebound to pull the Devils even at 1 with the Flyers.

"It feels good whenever you see that puck go in," Lazar said, "Obviously on the penalty kill you're trying to keep it out of their (net). We just got a bounce, Tyce came out of the box, he had his legs going and I just went to the net."

* An absolutely brilliant read by Alexander Holtz on this goal! Just look at the way he patiently waits in the high slot and his awareness to cut the two Philadelphia players, in alone for the shot. Holtz has looked like he's found an entirely new gear in his game this preseason, which you can read more about here.

"That confidence comes from working hard in practice, doing the right things," Meier, who assisted on Holtz's goal shared, "It's fun to see him out there having success, scoring those goals. He's getting in the right spots and he's able to finish off those plays."

*The Devils penalty killers sure got their practice reps in tonight with New Jersey taking three penalties through the opening two periods, killing all three off.

"It's big," Lazar, who played 1:37 shorthanded said, "We're all learning on the fly here, to integrate new guys. We know it's not going to be perfect so it comes down to will and compete. We got the job done."

* It's one thing to put your body on the line to block shots in the regular season, but it's another in the preseason. But that's exactly what we saw tonight at Wells Fargo Center by New Jersey. After two periods, the team had collectively blocked 17 shots and on multiple occasions they were on the penalty kill, making sure that Vanecek didn't have to make as many stops. The effort was recognized from the Devils' bench, with players continually standing up and tapping their sticks on the boards in recognition of their teammates.

In total, the team blocked 22 shots.

But there is another side to blocking so many shots in a single game, as head coach Lindy Ruff shares.

“You know, I don’t know if I like to see that many, the chances of somebody getting hurt. Didn’t think we played very well in our offensive zone. Some of it was breaking the puck out, which we felt we weren’t that good at. You spend more time in your own end, you get tired and pretty soon you’re just in the shot lanes.”