Match Summary
Everyone likes to see a comeback victory, but against Andrei Vasilevsky and the Tampa Bay Lightning? Now that’s something special. After starting out a bit mediocre in Tampa Bay, the New Jersey Devils flipped a switch and somehow scored four unanswered goals. New Jersey clearly wasn’t going to take three losses in a row lying down, and the result was a heart-pounding comeback against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
First Period
It wasn’t a pretty start to the game, to say the least. The Lightning quickly scored a stoppable goal on a lazy play from P.K. Subban and Alexander Holtz, giving them an early lead. Yegor Sharangovich responded, however, with a much-needed goal of his own to tie the game at one. This was the first goal of the season for the young Belorussian who was supposed to be a power-scoring presence this year. Unfortunately, the Devils would go into the first intermission at a 2-1 deficit courtesy of former Devil Partick Maroon.
New Jersey looked sluggish and out of place in this period, failing to push back against the Lightning onslaught. The analytics reflected this, with the Devils posting an abysmal 31.82 Corsi-for % (CF%).
Second Period
The Devils looked better in the second frame, but, similar to Thursday’s loss to Florida, Vasilevsky shut them down completely. Victor Hedman scored an easily preventable goal on Blackwood early in the period to give the Lightning a 3-1 lead. As time wound down, the Devils went on a rampage, tallying chance after chance on Vasilevsky. None went through, but New Jersey looked good to end the period, and they would carry that energy into the third.
Third Period
As MacKenzie Blackwood so elegantly put it in his post-game interview, the Devils “came out with piss and vinegar,” in the third period. That’s one way to explain how the Devils tore through the Lightning defense and Andrei Vasilevsky.
Dawson Mercer started the comeback with an awe-inspiring display of skating that ended with the puck in the back of the net.
Just a few moments later, Blackwood kept the game within reach with a robbery of a save, something he’d do a lot of in this period.
Jimmy Vesey scored on a breakout pass from P.K. Subban to tie the game at three.
And to top it off, Sharangovich ripped home another one to put the Devils up by one. Oh, and Tomas Tatar sealed the deal with an empty-netter.
Results
Boy, did the Devils need a win like this. It’s been a roller-coaster of a stretch for New Jersey: from blowing the Panthers out of the water last week to losing three frustrating games in a row. Hopefully, the Devils can settle down and play more consistently strong.
From “Black(wood) magic” to “SharanGOALvich” and Dawson Mercer, it was an all-around evening to remember. The Devils now hold a record of 8-5-3 and stand in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Lighting, on the other hand, sit at 9-4-3 and are in third in the Atlantic Division.
Keys to the Game
MacKenzie Blackwood’s Inconsistency
Overall, MacKenzie Blackwood has been solid in net, but he’s had moments where he has struggled these past few games. He was even pulled from the loss against Florida after allowing four goals. He was no more consistent last night, allowing easy goals to start but singlehandedly keeping the Devils afloat in the third frame. After a lost season, it’s vital that Blackwood finds a way to maintain his third-period dominance more consistently. The 24-year-old goaltender has a .923 save percentage and a 3.04 goals against average in five games played thus far.
The Return of “SharanGOALvich“
It’s definitely been a tough year for Yegor Sharangovich, who potted an impressive 16 goals in 54 games last year. Going into the season, there were even whispers that he could net 25 or even 30 goals. His early-season struggles have made that unlikely, but it was clear that after his first goal of the season last night, he looked more confident and loose than he’s been all year.
His analytics also haven’t been great, with a CF% and an expected goals-for % (xGF%) hovering below 50,.00 which pales in comparison to some of his teammates. However, he looked much stronger when Lindy Ruff moved him to Mercer’s line.
Up Next
The Devils will face off against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET at the Prudential Center.