Going from the chase to being chased in the standings can make things tougher. How do you combat that? By getting off to one of your fastest starts of the season.

Two goals by Trevor Zegras in the first four minutes of the first set the tone, as the Philadelphia Flyers stayed the course in their playoff pursuit with a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

How It Happened

The Flyers quickly opened up a 2-0 lead in the first. Just 1:56 into the game, Zegras scored his 24th goal of the season to set a new career high after a perfect setup by Owen Tippett and Travis Sanheim. Less than two minutes later on the power play, Zegras scored again off a feed from Porter Martone.

The Devils controlled play in the first from there, getting on the board at 12:12 on a deflection by Cody Glass for his 18th of the season. Shots were 10-7 New Jersey after the first period.

The Flyers grabbed two more quick goals in the second. After killing a penalty, Matvei Michkov tipped a puck ahead to start a two-on-one that was finished off by Tyson Foerster for his 12th goal of the season at 2:46. Just over two minutes later, at 4:58, Foerster added another off a three-on-two to make it 4-1.

Nick Seeler added an empty-net goal in the third to cap the scoring.

Box Score1st PeriodPHI Trevor Zegras (24) (Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett) 1:56PHI Zegras (25) PP (Porter Martone, Jamie Drysdale) 3:38NJ Cody Glass (18) (Jonas Siegenthaler) 12:122nd PeriodPHI Tyson Foerster (12) (Matvei Michkov) 2:46PHI Foerster (13) (Zegras, Michkov) 4:583rd PeriodPHI Nick Seeler (3) EN (Unassisted) 17:09By the NumbersShots: Flyers: 19, Devils: 24Power Play: Flyers: 1-for-2, Devils: 0-for-3Faceoffs: Flyers: 57.4%, Devils: 42.6%Goalies: PHI Dan Vladar: 23 saves on 24 shots, NJ Jacob Markstrom: 14 saves on 18 shotsKey Performers

⭐ Trevor Zegras — Zegras set the tone early with a pair of goals and later added an assist for a three-point game. In the process, he set a new career high in goals and tied his career-high of 65 points on the season.

⭐⭐ Tyson Foerster — Two more goals for Foerster, who has three since returning to the lineup last Thursday.

⭐⭐⭐ Matvei Michkov — A pair of assists for Michkov, who now has 12 points in the last 12 games. His nice lead pass along the boards set up Foerster’s first goal.

The Takeaway

The beat goes on for the Flyers, who get another key two points in their pursuit of the playoffs. They did it with a fast start, weathered the Devils’ push for the latter half of the first period, then got opportunistic off the rush for two more goals in the second to open up a three-goal lead. They continue to get the job done in these crucial games, and now that they hold a playoff spot, that’s the only thing that matters. The next one will be just as big, as they all are at this time of year.

Up Next

The Flyers are back on the ice on Thursday night to take on the Detroit Red Wings at 7 PM.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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