Thursday night, the New Jersey Devils lost their third game in a row against the Edmonton Oilers. After having a 3-2 lead entering the third period, the team surrendered four straight goals to lose 6-3. The Devils fall to a record of 16-13-2 and sit at sixth in their division.
Recap
Period One
The Oilers came out flying in the first period, scoring in the opening minute with Ryan McLeod. Just a few minutes later Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would bury a goal of his own to put Edmonton up 2-0. Over halfway through the period the Devils would have a rush the other way and Dawson Mercer scored. The third-year player cut the Oilers lead to 2-1 which would be the score after one period.
Period Two
The Devils came out buzzing to start the second period and it resulted in a goal to tie the game. Jonas Siegenthaler would fire home his first goal of the season through multiple screens. Rookie Simon Nemec would collect a point on the goal as well.
After this, the Oilers would dominate for a chunk of the period, however, it was New Jersey who scored again. Timo Meier broke his horrible pointless streak with a tap-in from Dawson Mercer. His goal would put New Jersey up 3-2 which would be the score after two.
Period Three
The third period was a horrible one for the Devils from start to finish. Vitek Vanecek had been 21-for-21 going into the frame after coming in for Akira Schmid early in the first. He then proceeded to allow three goals in just over a minute.
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Adam Erne would score in short succession and just like that Edmonton was up 5-3. Over halfway through the frame, Ryan McLeod would jump on a weird bounce off Luke Hughes’ stick and score his second of the game. Edmonton was up 6-3 which would be the final score of this one.
Game Notes
Defense Versus Goaltending
The Devils were a mess all around on Thursday night. Several cost turnovers, and per usual, most of all of them ended up behind whichever goaltender was in net.
Usually, in Devils’ losses, there’s a distinct reasoning for the outcome; goaltending, lack of finishing, etc. However, against Edmonton, everything was poor.
The East Is Tight
The Devils have three-straight games against teams outside the playoff race, with how tight the Eastern Conference is, this team needs to get these last three games back. The squad plays Detroit and Columbus on home ice before heading to Ottawa.
While the Red Wings are just behind the Devils in the standings, Columbus and Ottawa are 28th and 30th in the league, respectively. Winning one of three and three of three could be the difference of being way outside going into the new year and being in a playoff spot.
What’s Next
Next up, the Devils take on the Detroit Red Wings Saturday at 7:00 pm ET. The game is at the Prudential Center.