The New Jersey Devils entered Friday night’s Game 3 at the Prudential Center down 2-0. A win was required for them to see any chance at potentially coming back in the series. Well, it took two overtime’s, but thanks to an unlikely hero, the team got it done.
Game Recap
First Period
From the moment the puck dropped and Martin Brodeur was seen rallying the crowd waving the towels, the Devils came out energized. They controlled the pace of the period and generated quality chances against Frederik Andersen. The Devils got the first five shots of the period and it took until the midway point for the Hurricanes to generate a single shot on goal.
The Devils killed off a Hurricanes power play and also played well during the four-on-four, the , finally the Devils grabbed the first goal of the game. After a stellar breakout, Timo Meier found an open lane and fed Nico Hischier a pass. He made no mistake burying the goal past Andersen. The score would stand heading into the second period.
Good period overall for the Devils, who escaped the period with the lone goal. They held a slight edge in shot attempts (14-13), but the Devils held a significant margin in shots on goal (7-3 during five-on-five). The Devils did control the expected goals share (0.67-0.26) and deserved to be the team in the lead.
Second Period
The second period saw neither team score a goal, but the period had a much different tone to it than the first period did. The Hurricanes came out flying and really took to the attack and dominated possession. They held the Devils without a shot for almost half of the period, thankfully, Jacob Markstrom stood tall and made key save after key save.
The Devils certainly had their chances to bury the insurance goal but could not and the Devils and Hurricanes were headed for a pivotal third period in what was a one goal game.
There were plenty of penalties in this period, with 14:00 of time being played at just five-on-five. But the Hurricanes were back to their dominant selves. They held a significant edge in shot attempts (32-9), good for a 78.05 Corsi-for percentage (CF%). They heavily outshot the Devils, dominated the high danger areas of the ice, and generated 1.43 expected goals at five-on-five. The Devils are fortunate to hold them to zero goals.
Third Period
The third period began with fireworks, as Dawson Mercer got the Devils on the board. After Jesper Bratt got robbed on a grade-A scoring chance, Dawson Mercer grabbed the loose puck and managed to slip it into an open net, as Andersen was out of position. It didn’t last long, as the Hurricanes answered right back.
After a bad penalty taken by Jonas Siegenthaler, the Hurricanes went to work on the power play. Attacking with full force, Sebastian Aho fed a pass over to Seth Jarvis, who ripped a shot clean past Jacob Markstrom. The Hurricanes continued their push and tied the game.
The Devils inability to clear the puck led to a delay of game penalty by Brett Pesce and once again, the Hurricanes cashed in on the power play. After Markstrom made the initial save, the rebound landed on the Hurricanes sticks and Aho made no mistake burying the game-tying goal.
Overtime
It took double overtime, but for the first time since 2012, the Devils scored an overtime winning goal inside Prudential Center. After displaying a nifty move, Simon Nemec fired a shot that found its way past Andersen and the Devils found themselves back into this series.
Game Notes
- Welcome back Jonas Siegenthaler. He played more than head coach Sheldon Keefe anticipated, having 27 minutes of ice time. He finished with an expected goals-for percentage above 55.00.
- The Devils power play remains inept in this series. The team went 0-for-5 on the night with the man advantage and are now 0-for-10 in the series.
- Markstrom continued to be a rock in the net. He finished the game with a .926 save percentage and had 1.44 goals saved above expected.
What’s Next?
Game 4 is back at Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pm Et.