NEWARK—Now that the New Jersey Devils have officially ruled out their captain, there are holes in the lineup that will need to be plugged. At 5-on-5, the natural player to fill the void has been Dawson Mercer.

The Timo Meier breakout is coming, and the New Jersey Devils sure could use it. All signs have been pointing this way, and history has shown, at least since joining the Devils, that Timo Meier is a second-half player.

New Jersey scored four times in the second period and Jake Allen made 24 saves as the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-0 on Wednesday.

Bobby Brink, Joel Farabee and Garnet Hathaway scored to help the Flyers build a three-goal lead and they held on to beat the Devils​ 4-2 on Monday.

The New Jersey Devils have been going through quite the rough skid, dropping nine of their last 11 contests. The Devils’ “big four” – Jack Hughes, Jesper

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes each had a goal and an assist for the New Jersey Devils in a 5-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center on Wednesday. It marked the sixth time the Hughes' brothers each scored in the same game and second time they each had a goal and an assist in the same game.

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils’ offense came alive, thanks to a four-goal second period, to triumph in the second half of a home-and-home series against Philadelphia in a 5-0 win at Prudential Center Wednesday night.

The Devils are one of the best teams in the NHL in the second period. It showed Wednesday night as Sam Ersson and the Flyers allowed four goals in the period.

The New Jersey Devils dropped a 4-2 decision at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.

BOTTOM LINE: The New Jersey Devils, on a four-game losing ... Nico Hischier has 19 goals and 16 assists for the Devils. Timo Meier has five goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

Meier has lost a step offensively since coming over from the San Jose Sharks to the Devils. During his last two years in San Jose, Meier was nearly a point-per-game player (0.95), but his numbers have dropped in New Jersey. Key stat: Meier has been limited to three points in his last nine games.

New Jersey scored four times in the second period and Jake Allen made 24 saves as the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-0 on Wednesday.