Sunday, the New Jersey Devils lost both of their split-squad games at home against the Washington Capitals and on the road against the Ottawa Senators. The game against the Senators was held at a neutral site in Quebec City.
The group at home fell 3-2 in a shootout, while the group that traveled up north lost 2-0. The Devils are now 2-2-1 in the preseason.
Recap
Period One
The first period wasn’t great for both Devils groups. In Ottawa, Devils netminder Gregori Romanov, who is at camp on a professional try-out contract, kept the game scoreless despite an 11-2 shots advantage for the Senators. Back at home, it was former Devil Graeme Clarke who opened the scoring; on the power play. After one frame it was 0-0 in Quebec and 1-0 Washington, at home.
Period Two
The Devils fared slightly better in the second period against the Senators, only being outshot 9-7. However, back at home, Ryan Leonard kicked off the second period scoring with a beautiful end-to-end rush. The Devils responded with under five minutes left in the second frame, a power play goal from Nico Hischier kept the Devils in it as the two teams wrapped up the second frame.
Period Three
In Quebec City, the Devils allowed a late power-play goal by Senators prospect Stephen Halliday. That was followed up by an empty net goal by former Flyer Olle Lycksell. The Devils lost 2-0 on the road.
In New Jersey, things looked better. Right as a late power play expired, top prospect, and fresh off returning from injury, Shane Lachance, whacked the puck out of mid-air to even the score. Despite a late push by the Devils which included a post hit by Nico Hischier, the game went to overtime.
Overtime/Shootout
The Devils got a power play to kick off overtime. On the man advantage, the team got a plethora of chances. However, Charlie Lindgren made a few great saves to keep the game tied. Nico Daws, who expectedly filled in for Jacob Markstrom in the third period, made a couple stops of his own. The Devils’ first shootout of the year came in the preseason.
Jack Hughes opened up the shootout with a goal, and Arseny Gritsyuk kept the Devils alive later on. In the fifth round, after Nico Hischier failed to capitalize, Andrew Cristall walked it off with a backhand goal to beat Daws. The Devils fell to the Capitals 3-2 in the shootout, locking in the team’s second loss of the day.
Game Notes
The Final Forward Spots
With the split-squad games wrapped up, tons of cuts should be made soon. When those roster cuts come it should give a clearer image of who gets the final forward spot. Teams carry three extra players on the roster, typically two forwards and a defenseman.
The Devils have an idea of what their roster will look like asides from who is going to be the team’s 12th and extra forwards. It seems more likely every day that Juho Lammikko will start the season in New Jersey, however, the other two spots are up for grabs. Luke Glendening, who is on a professional try-out contract, has gotten the looks to prove he should make the cut, but he isn’t the only name that deserves to be looked at.
Nathan Legare skated with Paul Cotter and Cody Glass in Quebec City Sunday. His tenacity, combined with a recently found scoring touch that led to a career-high 17 goals in Utica last season, make him an interesting candidate. Shane Lachance, who scored in his preseason debut, is another interesting piece. Acquired last season for retaining salary on a Trent Frederic deal, Lachance has the tools to be an NHL player in his first full professional season.
The last notable name is former Devil Kevin Rooney who is back on a professional try-out contract as well. While Rooney hasn’t gotten the opportunities of a future NHLer during camp, his 330 games of experience at the top level shouldn’t be forgotten.
Lachance for More
Shane LaChance isn’t just being mentioned to make the NHL roster for no reason. His play during rookie camp, and in his preseason debut, was extremely impressive.
Sunday against the Capitals, Lachance held a 77.78 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and 70.59 expected goals percentage (xG%) while on the ice. Individually, LaChance led the way at five-on-five with 0.38 individual expected goals (ixG) and two high danger chances. He also was second on the team in hits with six, just one less than big Dmitry Ozipov. All of that production came in just 12:03 of ice time.
Goalie Performances
Three goalies made appearances for New Jersey on Sunday. The aforementioned professional try-out, Georgio Romanov, stopped 30-of-31 in the loss. Meanwhile, in Newark, Jacob Markstrom started the game, and stopped 16-of-18 while posting a -1.34 goals saved above expected. Nico Daws stopped all four shots he faced in the third period and overtime, posting a 0.58 goals saved above expected.
What’s Next
The Devils next preseason game is on the road Thursday against the New York Rangers at 7:00 pm ET.