As slam dunks go in hockey, the Flyers fourth and final regular-season meeting with the New Jersey Devils Tuesday sure shaped up as one. Yes, the news that Brian Elliott would be lost for six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery was sobering, but with Michal Neuvirth turning in two stellar performances in his stead, much less so than the dark cloud surrounding the visitors, who, without their $6 million-a-year starter Cory Schneider, had lost four straight and eight of their last 11 as they tried out, often with disastrous consequence, two career backups in the net.
Once a team vying for the lead in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils were 5-10-1 in 2018, slipping to a wild-card spot, three points behind the surging Flyers.