Devils vs. Flyers: Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis for Game 1

Danny Briere played the role of playoff hero again for the Philadelphia Flyers when he beat New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur in overtime for a 4-3 home win in Game 1.

Briere scored just minutes earlier, but the goal was taken away, as it was clear that he kicked it into the net.

It was the 18th overtime game of the 2012 NHL playoffs, but it wouldn't have gone into overtime if Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov hadn't played poorly in the final two periods.

Bryzgalov should have saved the three goals he allowed, all of which beat him five-hole. The Flyers earned leads of 2-1 and 3-1, but Bryzgalov wasn't able to hold them.

The Devils need to do a better job defending the Flyers' top-two lines because Philly has so many players capable of scoring goals each game.

Goaltender Martin Brodeur also needs to play better for the Devils because New Jersey won't win this series if they have to score four or five goals per game.

Let's look at a complete recap of this game.

Best Tweets

Bleacher Report's Tom Kinslow is a big fan of Flyers superstar forward Claude Giroux:

"

When I grow up, I want to be just like Claude Giroux. What a snipe to give the #Flyers the lead.

— Tom Kinslow (@TomKinslow) April 29, 2012"

Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer gives us an awesome quote from Giroux:

"

Giroux on Hart snub: "At the end of the day, that's not the trophy I want." #Flyers #Devils

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) April 27, 2012"

Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy talks about a weak penalty call that gave the Devils a powerplay in the second period, which they scored on:

"

I never understand what the Hockey Gods are trying to tell us when teams score on PPs they shouldn't have been given.

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 29, 2012"

Sean Leahy of Yahoo Sports tells us the last time Devils forward Petr Sykora scored a playoff goal:

"

Petr Sykora's last goal in the playoffs was the 3OT winner vs. Detroit in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.

— Sean Leahy (@Sean_Leahy) April 29, 2012"

Jesse Spector of the Sporting News shares the numbers on Bryzgalov's poor save percentage in the playoffs thus far:

"

Ilya Bryzgalov's second-round save percentage (4:04 left in third period of Game 1): .864 First round: .871.

— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) April 29, 2012"

Must-See Highlights

Flyers forward Danny Briere scored his third career overtime playoff goal to give his team the Game 1 victory.

Flyers forward Claude Giroux scored on the power play in the third period with a booming slap shot past Brodeur.

Devils captain and star winger Zach Parise opened the scoring with a first-period goal.

Grades for Key Flyers Players

Danny Briere: A

Danny Briere's overtime goal was his second of the game and seventh of the NHL playoffs. The Flyers' veteran is a proven playoff performer, and his game on Sunday demonstrated that.

Ilya Bryzgalov: C-

Bryzgalov really struggled against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 and played poorly again in Game 1 versus the Devils.

Even though the second and third goals Bryzgalov allowed were ones he would like to have back, if not for some remarkable saves in the first period, the Devils could have opened up a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Bryzgalov needs to play better if the Flyers are going to beat the Devils in this series. He cannot rely on his offense to bail him out by scoring four to six goals per game.

Grades for Key Devils Players

Zach Parise: A-

Parise scored the game's opening goal off a nice feed from Patrick Elias, and then added the primary assist to Travis Zajac on the the Devils' second goal.

The Devils' captain wasn't a major contributor offensively in his team's first-round series against the Florida Panthers, having scored just two goals, but he got off to a nice start in Game 1 versus the Flyers.

Marek Zidlicky: D

Marek Zidlicky had a very poor game for the Devils on defense and was responsible for several turnovers that set up Flyers scoring chances.

He also took a bad delay-of-game penalty in overtime that forced the Devils to go on the penalty kill early in the extra period.

If he can't defend better on his own end, Zidlicky's ice time has to be cut or he will continue to hurt the team.

Game MVP: Danny Briere

Briere scored two goals in the game, including the game-winner in overtime. He has 106 points in 104 career playoff games and is one of the better playoff performers of the last 25 years.

His leadership and goal-scoring was massive for the Flyers in Game 1.

What's Next

Game 2 of this series is Tuesday night in Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was also the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.