Heading into the third period on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Flyers had managed just eight shots on goal through forty minutes of play against the New Jersey Devils. It certainly wasn’t the best hockey they’ve played this season, and somehow it also wasn’t the worst. They were still in the game at a 1-1 tie and needed to turn things up a notch in the third period.
To do so, Alain Vigneault turned to his fourth line, the energy line. This is something we saw him do a bit too much in the playoffs with Nate Thompson’s line, but it worked with a different trio on Thursday night in Newark.