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Ryan Carter says the Devils must focus on outplaying the Flyers.

(Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)

When the Devils decided to trade Krys Barch and send Cam Janssen to Albany (AHL), they knew they would be facing teams like the Flyers without a fighter.



The loss of captain Bryce Salvador with a fractured foot also leaves the Devils without another player willing to drop his gloves. So left winger Ryan Carter knows that a lot more could fall on his own shoulders.



"I guess this will be one of the first times we'll play a Flyers team that has a history of being physically tough without Krys Barch and Cam Janssen," Carter said.



He said the Devils have to outplay the Flyers rather than get involved in a series of fights.



"I was listening to an NBA broadcast the other day. They were saying how another team was more physical than the other and that they're never going to win a championship because they get beaten physically," Carter noted. "At the end of the game it came out that if you're the better team and you dictate what the other team has to do, you don't have to worry about who's tough and who's not.

"I think that's kind of where we're at, too. If we dictate with our play and they can't play with us, then why would we engage?



Except that the Flyers, when outplayed, have been known to revert to brawling.

“There is that element, isn’t there?” Carter said with a chuckle. “Didn’t we see it last night? If it gets dicey, I want to be right there in it. And that’s fine.”