After beating the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Saturday, the New Jersey Devils (14-11-1) fell to the Edmonton Oilers (12-12-1) 4-1 in a disappointing loss.
Summary
First Period
Neither team got off to a quick start in the first, exchanging quick shifts in their respective offensive zones for the first few minutes. The Oilers appeared to strike first on a funky goal four minutes in, but it was waived on a goalie interference call on Evander Kane. Nico Hischier was sent to the box at the 8:25 mark, setting up the dangerous Oilers’ power play. The penalty kill unit spent the first minute hemmed into their zone, but eventually cleared the puck, got the change, and stymied Edmonton for the rest of the man advantage.
Jack Hughes drew a penalty two minutes later, sending Darnell Nurse to the box for tripping. The first power play unit looked dangerous, cycling quickly and getting numerous shot attempts. The Oilers forced out the second unit, however, and the Devils couldn’t set up again. They got another chance on the man advantage on a Zach Hyman delay of game call but never got set up.
New Jersey got a few nice offensive zone shifts toward the end of the period, but couldn’t strike first. Derek Ryan finally opened the scoring at the 18:36 mark for the Oilers, beating Akira Schmid to the near post and elevating the puck over his pad.
The Devils had a few extended offensive zone shifts, but the Oilers’ defense stood tall, allowing a 42.86 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and just 42.60% of the expected goals (xG)
Second Period
The second period was far more sluggish than the first. Neither team could establish consistent offensive pressure, playing most of the period in the neutral zone. Curtis Lazar got called for tripping at the 14:01 mark, handing the Oilers their third power play of the night. Edmonton capitalized with a goal from Evan Bouchard at the point soon after.
The Devils had most of the possession during the second period, notching a 62.07 CF% but the Oilers played solid defense, collapsing in around their net and getting sticks on almost every offensive zone pass. This resulted in a paltry 45.97 xG%.
Third Period
Akira Schmid made a head-scratcher play early in the third period, going out to play the puck but getting trapped along the wall, allowing Connor McDavid a tap-in goal at the 4:23 mark.
Seconds later at the 4:53 mark, Jesper Bratt responded with the Devils’ first goal of the afternoon, redirecting a pass from Ondrej Palat past Calvin Pickard. Down by two, the Devils caught a spark and buzzed in the offensive zone. The Oilers were up to the task, however, maintaining a tight defensive structure.
With three and a half minutes left to play and down by two, head coach Lindy Ruff pulled Akira Schmid for the extra attacker. The Devils tried to do too much, however, and couldn’t get a clean look on Pickard. They eventually surrendered the puck to Evander Kane in the defensive zone, who tapped it in to seal the game for Edmonton.
Results
It just wasn’t meant to be for Jersey. Despite playing well for most of the game, the Devils lacked a certain spark on offense. The Oilers were stout in their end, frustrating a usually potent offensive attack. It’s a sour end to what was a great West Coast trip otherwise.
The Devils are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 29 points, tied with the Penguins and Capitals. The Oilers climbed back to .500 with the win, sitting in fourth place in the Pacific Division with 25 points.
Game Notes
Oilers’ Defense Stands Tall
The Oilers’ defense largely received a lot of hate in the beginning of the season despite the bad play not exactly being the units fault. Edmonton made New Jersey work for everything in the offensive end, frustrating their star-studded forward group. They closed off the middle of the ice and tied up almost every stick in their end.
This was reflected in the underlying possession numbers. The Devils controlled a majority of the scoring chances with a 53.85 CF%, but the Oilers kept everything to the outside, resulting in a 31.58 high-danger CF% (HDCF%) for New Jersey. Overall, it culminated in a disappointing 40.18 xG%.
Power Play Disappoints
The Devils have the best power play in the league with a 34.1% success rate coming into the game, so when they get an opportunity on the man advantage, they have to strike. The Oilers did a great job of shutting down this advantage, keeping the Devils off the scoreboard on four power plays.
On the other end, the penalty kill had mixed results. New Jersey killed off Edmonton’s first two power plays nicely, but allowed a goal on the third, going two for three on the night.
Other Notes
- Edmonton extends their winning streak to seven, soaring back into playoff contention.
- Jesper Bratt extended his point streak to five games with the only Devils goal of the game.
- Akira Schmid had a mixed night, making some timely saves but allowing two bad goals. He posted a .897 save percentage.
- Erik Haula didn’t play yesterday with an upper-body injury.
Up Next
The Devils will head back east to play the Bruins on Wednesday at 7:00 pm ET.