THEY have lost three times in the playoffs, three times in their last eight games, actually, and after each defeat Larry Robinson pretty much said the same thing – the Devils hadn’t so much been beaten by the opposition as they had beaten themselves.

He said it after Games 1 and 4 of the Toronto series, then said it again after Tuesday’s 4-3 Game 2 defeat in Philadelphia, the one in which the Devils led 3-1 late in the second period before yielding three goals on four shots within a span of 2:37.

“You don’t want to take it to an extreme, but the way I feel it’s a lot better when you beat yourself because at least you know that you can win if you play up to your capabilities,” Robinson said before last night’s Game 3 of the Eastern finals at the Meadowlands. “It’s disheartening when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, but that’s the nature of the beast. And if as a coach you think you’re never going to beat yourself, then you’re in a dream world.

“On the other hand, when you’re beaten, you question whether you are good enough to win. You might think you’re good enough, but if you’ve played your game and still don’t win, doubts can creep in.”

The Devils did appear in complete command of the series with their late second-period 3-1 lead Tuesday, but they self-destructed, and not simply because the Flyers rubbed gloves in their faces after whistles, not simply because the Flyers wanted to drag the Devils down into a street fight. Forget about what might have happened after whistles; the Devils simply did not play with enough discipline while the clock was running.

What in the world was Bobby Holik doing when he crashed into Brian Boucher with a 3-1 lead and just over three minutes to go in the second? The Devils killed the penalty but the Flyers scored the 3-2 goal only 24 seconds after returning to even strength.

“Yes, I was disappointed with that penalty,” Robinson said. “There are good and bad penalties, there’s good discipline and not good discipline, and that’s been addressed.

“If there’s a reason to take a penalty, fine, but with a 3-1 lead that was not a necessary penalty.”

That penalty stands as an example of the lack of discipline and intelligence that the Devils played with Tuesday. But it was more than that. It was their lack of discipline in their own zone defending against the heavy Flyer forecheck and crease-crashing, and their lack of discipline through the neutral zone that did them in Tuesday, leaving the outcome of the series in doubt.

If the Devils appear to be the better team here, they hadn’t appreciably demonstrated it through the opening two games. Fact is, other than the opener’s third period and stretches of Game Two’s second period, the Devils haven’t been the better team. Through the first two games of this series, the Devils actually haven’t played that well at all, and worse than that in their own end. Philadelphia has had numerous glorious opportunities.

The Flyers haven’t only created chances down low, they’ve created chances off the rush, too; a large number of them against the previously impenetrable Scott Stevens-Brian Rafalski pair. Rafalski, who goes about 5-9, 180, has been repeatedly pounded, and has played wobbly hockey. Scott Niedermayer, meanwhile, has been either a grand slam or bases-loaded strikeout; capable of the brilliance that produced his Game 1 goal, capable of the carelessness that produced the neutral zone turnover that eventually wound up in Martin Brodeur’s net for Tuesday’s game winner.

The Devils have created scoring chances of their own against Brian Boucher, but they’ve never been able to create sustained pressure against the freshman goaltender and have rarely been able to get second or third shots on him, either. Playing against an exaggerated 1-4 Flyer trap, the Devils had two shots on net in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday’s third period, neither dangerous. They finished with five for the period, none threatening.

Everyone believes the Flyer defense is susceptible to heavy forechecking, but the Devils haven’t been consistently effective in getting the puck in deep and going to work from there. They’ve been careless, if not arrogant, at times. It hasn’t worn well on them.

Through two games, the Flyers have done more of what they’ve wanted to do than have the Devils. The Flyers have traded chances. The Flyers, at least in Game 2, kept the puck away from Brodeur on their dump-ins, thereby forcing Devil defensemen to handle the puck and face a consequent pounding. And the Flyers have turned the series into a street brawl.

Emotions are running high here. This is a blood-and-guts series. Through two games, both teams have bled and both have shown guts. But through two games, the Flyers have played far closer to their ability than have the Devils.

If that didn’t begin to change last night, the Devils were going to be in serious trouble, whether beaten or having beaten themselves.