Joel Farabee rode the bench, Garnet Hathaway got tossed and the Flyers fell in overtime to the Devils, 4-3.
Playing the majority of Thursday night's game with 10 forwards, the Flyers lost to the Devils, 4-3, in overtime at the Wells Fargo Center.
With their net emptied for the extra attacker at 6-on-4, the Flyers tied the game on a Tyson Foerster power play redirection. The equalizer came with 50.9 seconds left in regulation to force the bonus session.
But Jack Hughes found his brother Luke Hughes early in OT to thwart the Flyers' comeback bid.
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Foerster and Morgan Frost scored the club's first two goals. Frost drew the Flyers within 2-1 in the second period on the power play. Foerster, with his first redirection, got them within 3-2 in the third period about four minutes before scoring the game-tying goal.
The officials took Garnet Hathaway out of the game and John Tortorella removed Joel Farabee.
The Flyers (11-10-2) are 1-3-1 over their last five games.
NHL
The Devils (11-9-1) were without top defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday.
New Jersey blossomed last season, finishing with the NHL's third-most points (112). Danny Briere spoke highly of the Devils' rebuild during the summer.
"I give them credit, they were patient, they didn't let the noise affect them," the Flyers' general manager said in May. "That's going to be the biggest — probably toughest — thing for us, is going to be stay patient and keep with the process that we believe in."
The Flyers face New Jersey three more times this season.
• Tortorella was irate with the officials in the first period when Hathaway was given a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for boarding Luke Hughes.
The Devils' 20-year-old defenseman appeared to have the puck and turned toward Hathaway as the Flyers' winger connected on his check. In many ways, it looked like a clean hit on an aggressive forecheck. Icing was not whistled before the check or listed on the NHL's official play by play.
Scott Laughton felt it was a clean hit.
"The linesman's in a tough spot there, but I think you have to blow [the whistle] earlier or don't blow it at all," Laughton said. "They obviously looked at it. A five-minute boarding call, but he doesn't hit the boards really. It's tough to see. I think you've got to protect yourself at the same time and know who you're out against. He comes back a couple shifts later or whenever he comes back. That's what they decided to do and you've got to live with it. But obviously we probably don’t agree with it in the room."
After the officials conducted video review of the hit, an incensed Tortorella gave them an earful from the bench.
"I have no idea what they told me," Tortorella said. "It's a clean hit."
With 3:45 minutes left in the opening stanza, Hughes was forced to exit the game. However, he returned to the ice at the start of the second period.
The Flyers were trailing 2-0 at the time of the call. They were able to kill off the penalty, which carried over into the middle frame.
"When we killed the five-minute penalty, which never should have been a five-minute penalty, which never should have been a penalty, we talked about that's the hump we've got to get over," Tortorella said. "You could sense that we could at least have an opportunity to get back in the game."
More: 'It makes me sick what goes on in the league here on big hits,' Tortorella says
• Farabee played only 56 seconds. He was benched after his second shift when New Jersey scored the game-opening goal. Alexander Holtz streaked down the middle of the ice and beat Carter Hart top shelf.
Tortorella was clearly unhappy with Farabee on the play. The 23-year-old winger unsuccessfully pinched on the play as he tried to keep the puck in the offensive zone. But the Flyers were also poor in coverage. It wasn't an odd-man rush for the Devils.
After the game, Tortorella said the benching was because Farabee "didn't listen."
Tortorella didn't want to expand any further on the specifics.
"None of your business," he said. "You know I'm not going to go there. You want me to keep answering questions here, don't bring me into that spot."
Farabee has been one of the Flyers' best forwards, with and without the puck. Benching him after his second shift is a pretty short leash from Tortorella. And losing Hathaway later in the period made things even more difficult for the Flyers' forwards and hopes of coming back.
Farabee was not made available for comment after the game.
• Hart converted 31 saves on 35 shots.
Jack Hughes handed New Jersey its 2-0 lead on a 2-on-1 rush.
With a power play goal, Tyler Toffoli cushioned the Devils' advantage back to two in the third period.
Hart made a stellar diving save in the second period to keep the game at 2-1 when New Jersey was on a power play.
Devils netminder Akira Schmid stopped 44 of the Flyers' 47 shots.
• The Flyers put Cam York back on the power play after using Sean Walker for a 10-game run. York rewarded the coaching staff.
The 22-year-old defenseman set up Frost's man advantage goal with a secondary assist.
The team's power play entered 7 for 71. It went 2 for 6 against New Jersey.
"Eventually we’re going to start to get a few and I think the dam is going to break for us," York said Wednesday after practice. "And hopefully we can get a bunch.”
• After a pair of healthy scratches, Egor Zamula was back in the lineup for Marc Staal.
The Flyers want the 23-year-old defenseman to be more decisive with the puck and use his length for physicality.
"He's a laid-back guy, really good guy. Very coachable," Tortorella said at morning skate. "But sometimes you need to change your personality when a game is being played, the determination part of it. Closing people out. He's got such a big body and such a good stick, the next thing is killing plays. Not just being there, [but] killing plays. That's all part of a mindset.
"We're going to continue to work with him. It's inconsistent, it's up and down, it is a roller coaster with him. But when he does it, you can see what he could be. I just want him to be able to see what he could be if he does it more consistently."
• The Flyers are scheduled to practice Friday at noon ET in Voorhees, New Jersey before heading to Pittsburgh for a matchup Saturday against the Penguins (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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