NEWARK, N.J. (Interstat) — Jack Hughes scored with 1:37 left in overtime, and the New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Thursday at Prudential Center. Hughes took a pass from Jesper Bratt and beat Philadelphia goaltender Joseph Woll with a wrist shot, giving New Jersey a win in its home opener before an announced crowd of 16,539. The Devils improved to 1-0-0, while the Flyers dropped to 0-2-0. It was a tight, physical Metropolitan Division matchup that needed extra time after Philadelphia twice took a one-goal lead and New Jersey answered both times.

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the first period. Rasmus Ristolainen redirected a shot past New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen at 11:12, with assists from Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny. The goal came after New Jersey had several early chances. Timo Meier hit the left post, and Woll stopped Jesper Bratt and Luke Evangelista on consecutive wrist shots. New Jersey also had a power play after Philadelphia’s Noel Acciari was called for holding against Luke Hughes, but the Devils could not convert. Philadelphia’s Trevor Zegras was called for holding against Brett Pesce, and Nico Hischier won the ensuing faceoff for New Jersey. The Devils kept pressure on with shots from Bratt and Evangelista, but Woll was equal to the task. Noel Acciari won several faceoffs for Philadelphia, and the Flyers blocked attempts by Luke Hughes and Jack Hughes. Allen made saves on Owen Tippett, Ristolainen and Christian Dvorak later in the period to keep the deficit at one. The Flyers led 1-0 after the first period.

New Jersey tied the game in the second period. Dougie Hamilton scored on a wrist shot, finishing a sequence in which the Devils pressured Philadelphia in the offensive zone. The goal was unassisted. Hamilton had six shots on goal in the game, matching Bratt for the team lead. Allen continued to hold Philadelphia in check, while Woll turned aside chances from Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes. New Jersey killed a tripping penalty on Luke Evangelista, and the Devils went into the second intermission tied at 1. New Jersey’s Evan Rodrigues won multiple faceoffs in the period, and Cody Glass generated a wrist shot that Allen saved. The Devils also had a chance when Luke Hughes put a wrist shot on net, but Woll made the stop. Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett hit Evan Rodrigues and then tested Allen with a backhand. Nick Seeler and Ristolainen also put shots on Allen, while the Devils blocked attempts from Declan Chisholm and Brett Pesce. The period also included several hits, including Hischier’s check on Sanheim and Stefan Noesen’s hit on Ristolainen. Philadelphia’s Sean Couturier was sent to the penalty box for boarding Brenden Dillon in the first period, but New Jersey could not score on that advantage either.

Philadelphia regained the lead in the third period. Travis Sanheim scored on a slap shot, with Sean Couturier picking up the assist. The goal put the Flyers ahead 2-1 and quieted the Prudential Center crowd. New Jersey pressed for an answer and finally found one later in the period. Luke Hughes scored on a wrist shot, with Luke Evangelista assisting. The goal tied the game at 2 and eventually forced overtime. Before that, Allen stopped Dawson Mercer and Jack Hughes, while Woll denied Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny. The Flyers had a late chance when Matvei Michkov deflected a shot on goal, but Allen was there. New Jersey’s defense blocked several Philadelphia attempts, including a Jack Hughes shot that Ristolainen blocked and a Jonas Siegenthaler shot that Ristolainen also blocked. The period featured several penalties and stoppages. Christian Dvorak was called for high-sticking against Nico Hischier, giving New Jersey a power play, but the Devils could not capitalize. Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny delivered hits on Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes, while New Jersey’s Stefan Noesen and Brenden Dillon were physical. Allen stopped a wrist shot from Cody Glass, and Woll denied Tyson Foerster and Christian Dvorak.

In overtime, New Jersey controlled the puck early. Nico Hischier won the opening faceoff against Sean Couturier, and Timo Meier tested Woll with a wrist shot. Luke Hughes missed wide right, and Sanheim and Trevor Zegras had chances at the other end that Allen stopped. New Jersey’s Luke Hughes had a wrist shot saved before the winner, and Timo Meier delivered a hit on Owen Tippett. Philadelphia’s Trevor Zegras and Travis Sanheim had shot attempts that Allen turned aside. The Devils then found the winner when Bratt carried the puck and fed Jack Hughes, who snapped a wrist shot past Woll with 1:37 remaining. It was Hughes’s first goal of the season and his fifth shot on goal. Allen finished with 23 saves on 25 shots and was named the game’s top star. He was especially sharp in the second and third periods as Philadelphia tried to protect its leads.

Jack Hughes led New Jersey with a goal and five shots. Bratt had one assist and six shots. Luke Hughes had a goal and five shots. For Philadelphia, Sanheim had a goal, an assist, three shots and three hits. Ristolainen had a goal, four shots and three hits. Couturier had an assist, two shots and two penalty minutes. Hamilton had a goal, six shots and one hit. Hischier had two shots and one hit. Evangelista had an assist, four shots and two penalty minutes. Joseph Woll made several important saves for the Flyers, though his final stat line was not listed among the game’s key performers. The Flyers also received a strong effort from their defense, which blocked shots throughout regulation and helped limit New Jersey’s chances until late.

Philadelphia had opened its season with a 7-0 loss to Pittsburgh. The Flyers will look to get their first win when they host Carolina. After that, Philadelphia is scheduled to play at Tampa Bay, at Ottawa, at Boston, against Carolina, against Seattle, at Detroit, against Ottawa, against Colorado and at Buffalo. New Jersey will next visit the New York Islanders. The Devils’ upcoming schedule includes games against Utah, Vancouver, Ottawa, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Washington, Colorado, Anaheim and Los Angeles. New Jersey will try to build on a home opener that ended with Hughes’s overtime celebration and Allen’s steady play in net.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of New Jersey 4, Philadelphia 2. Interstat’s ELO system had given New Jersey a 52 percent probability to win. New Jersey had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 5 went over the over-under line of 5.5.