Flyers-Devils Game 3 recap

Score: Devils 4, Flyers 3 (OT)

What happened: A poorly executed Flyers line change left the Devils with a 2-on-1 and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored with 2:39 left in overtime. He took the shot, got his own rebound and put it past Ilya Bryzgalov.

What it means: The Devils took a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 on Sunday night in New Jersey. The pressure will be totally on the Flyers to tie the series.

Hero: New Jersey's Alexei Ponikarovsky, with the game-winning goal.

Goat: The Flyers' jittery power play in overtime. They had two power plays in OT and mustered only one shot. The Devils had better chances while shorthanded.

Amazing Briere: Danny Briere scored yet another playoff goal, tying the game at 3 with 8:56 to play. He chipped in a rebound off a James van Riemsdyk shot. It was one of the few Flyers forays into the Devils' zone in the third period. The Flyers are now 4-1 when Briere scores.

Parise power: The Devils captain gave his team the lead at 7:29 of the third period. He crushed Matt Carle into the boards, then drove hard to the net. Carle didn't cut him off or get there in time and Parise beat Bryzgalov.

The goalies: Marty Brodeur will turn 40 on Sunday. The Flyers needed to work him over but rarely had any sustained pressure. Bryzgalov was solid, again.

The call(s): A questionable goalie interference penalty was called on Brayden Schenn . . . just as James van Riemsdyk scored a power-play goal to make it 3-2 Flyers late in the second period. That call came on power play given to the Flyers on very questionable delay-of-game penalty on Ilya Kovalchuk. Was the Schenn penalty a makeup call? Did the refs just miss both calls? It was dreadful officiating when the game, and possibly the series, were up for grabs. The refs put away the whistles in the third period but called two penalties on the Devils in overtime.

Couturier hurt: The Flyers' 19-year-old center suffered a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return. He has been the Flyers' shutdown defensive forward and even had a hat trick against the Penguins. His faceoff skills were missed.

THREE STARS

1. ALEXEI PONIKAROVSKY, Devils: Took advantage of a bad Flyers line change to score winning goal in overtime.

2. DANNY BRIERE, Flyers: Briere tied the score with 8:56 to play. He continues to score in the playoffs, sniffing out the puck around the net and putting it home.

3. ZACH PARISE, Devils: Gave Devils a 3-2 lead with hard check on Matt Carle and harder drive to net past Carle. Nearly scored shorthanded in OT.