NEWARK, N.J. _ Playing the Flyers often proves a panacea for the Devils.
This time, the Devils snapped a season-long, 10-game winless streak with a 6-2 victory over the Flyers on Thursday night at Prudential Center, setting a season high for goals. They have won all three games over their Metropolitan Division rival this season _ including a 4-0 home win on Dec. 22 a day after general manager Ray Shero ripped his team's efforts _ and are 17-5-3 against them since the start of the 2011-12 season.
Keith Kinkaid needed to stop just 17 shots, Adam Henrique and Taylor Hall each scored twice, Kyle Palmieri had a goal and an assist and Travis Zajac had two assists for the Devils (26-31-12), who snapped an 0-8-2 slump with their first win since Feb. 18.
Steve Mason, who made 23 saves in the Flyers' 4-0 win over the visiting Penguins on Wednesday night, came into Thursday's game with a lifetime 0-8-0 record, 3.77 goals-against average and an .854 save percentage against the Devils. Not only did he suffer a ninth loss to the Devils, he was helped off the ice having trouble putting weight on his left leg after Taylor Hall reached around to slip a one-handed shot past Mason's left pad to make it 4-2 at 1:33 of the third period. Mason allowed four goals on 23 shots.
The Devils have beaten the Flyers (32-30-8) by an aggregate 14-3 this season. That included a 4-1 win at Philadelphia on Jan. 21 in which Kinkaid stopped 35 shots.
Devils coach John Hynes, noting Kinkaid's "aspirations" to be a full-time starting goalie in the NHL, said it was up to him to make the most of the opportunities he'll get over the season's final three-plus weeks.
"We feel he's an important part of our team and he's going to get more games down the stretch," Hynes said. "He certainly deserves the opportunity."
The Devils, all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth straight season, have 13 regular-season games remaining, including Friday night at Pittsburgh. That completes one of four back-to-back sets the Devils, who opened a stretch of eight games in 13 days on Thursday, have remaining.
Kinkaid stopped 20 of 21 shots after relieving Cory Schneider in the second period of Saturday's 5-4 loss at Arizona and he was going to start Tuesday against the Jets at The Rock before that game was postponed until March 28 before of the blizzard.
Kinkaid, who turns 28 on July 4, is an impending unrestricted free agent as he completes a two-year, $1.45 million deal.
"Any opportunity is a good opportunity," Kinkaid said. "If I get more games toward the end of the season, that's good. I hope to make the best out of them. I feel good and confident."
The Devils gave Kinkaid his first two-goal lead as Henrique, one-timing Beau Bennett's feed from behind the crease, made it 2-1 at 5:50 of the second period and Joseph Blandisi tipped in Damon Severson's blue-line shot for a power-play goal at 9:40. But Brayden Schenn, left wide open low in the left circle, brought the Flyers within 3-2 at 11:13 of the second period.
Michael Del Zotto, cutting through the slot, finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence, had beaten a diving Kinkaid to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 17:00 of the first period.
But the Devils responded quickly as Zajac beat Valtteri Filppula on an offensive zone faceoff and Palmieri picked up the loose puck in the left circle and beat Mason with a wrist shot at 18:11.
It was Palmieri's eighth goal in 11 games and gave him a team-leading 23.
Henrique, at the crease, added his second goal at 4:08 of the third period on the first shot Michal Neuvirth faced and Hall's empty-netter at 15:21 closed the scoring.
