Monday, the Devils lost their first home game of the season, 3-2 against the New York Islanders in overtime. Simon Nemec scored the tying goal with just seconds to go, but it got the team just a point. The loss drops New Jersey to 11-4-1 on the season.
Recap
Period One
The Devils got out to a quick start, with Timo Meier scoring an early power play goal. The goal had a delayed reaction as even the goal horn operator didn’t realize the puck went in. The Devils controlled a majority of play in the opening frame, but failed to capitalize any further.
Period Two
The Islanders got a jump on the Devils early in the second period, which eventually resulted in a goal. Luke Hughes turned the puck over at center ice to Kyle Palmieri, who sprung Bo Horvat on a breakaway where he sniped the puck top corner to tie the game. The Devils fought back afterwards though, pushing hard for a tie-breaking goal in the latter stages of the second period. That push was to no avail however, as Ilya Sorokin stood tall and kept the game tied going into the third.
Period Three
The Devils continued to dominate as the third period rolled along, including on three power plays where they failed to score. With four minutes to go in regulation, the Islanders would finally get their first power play of the night. About a minute later, they would make the Devils pay. Kyle Palmieri cleaned up a rebound in front against his former team to put the Isles ahead late in the third.
The Devils had a couple of chances with the goaltender pulled, but the game came down to a faceoff in the offensive zone with about 20 seconds left. Bratt tee’d up Nemec for a one-time shot and he got his first of the year to tie the game with just under five seconds to go. Just like that, the game was headed to overtime.
Overtime
The Devils and Islanders both turned the puck over a couple of times to start overtime, but after the Devils and Luke Hughes tried a shot on goal, they wouldn’t get the puck back again. Mat Barzal was sent in one-on-one against Jacob Markström and beat him far-side to give the Islanders the win in overtime. New Jersey fell 3-2 at home.
Game Notes
Tying Goals Against the Islanders
The Devils have had a knack for late-game heroics against the Islanders over the past two seasons. Over the team’s last four meetings, the Devils have scored a tying goal in the final minute with the goaltender pulled three times. Unfortunately, New Jersey is 1-0-2 in those games, but still an interesting trend between these two teams specifically.
Fourth Line
The Devils fourth line has been a major weak spot over the course of this season, but the group experienced a revival of sorts Monday night with the return of Zack MacEwan. The first-year Devil had a team-leading 77.78 corsi-for percentage (CF%) and 88.47 expected goals percentage (xG%) at five-on-five. If the Devils can continue to get that kind of production from their bottom line, it will help take the load off of the top-nine group, and especially the top-six, who have had to carry a majority of the load this season.
What’s Next
The Devils next game is on the road Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks at 9:30 pm ET.