The New Jersey Devils have officially hit rock bottom. Against division rival New York Islanders, the Devils played debatably their worst game of the season, losing 9-0 despite the fact that they outshot the Islanders 44-24.
The Devils are now 22-19-2 on the season.
Recap
First Period
It was a nightmare start for the Devils, and they immediately got pinned in. The Islanders soon capitalized as veteran defenseman Ryan Pulock sent a beautiful cross-ice feed to Matthew Barzal, who gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
The bad start continued for New Jersey as, after another failed power play, the Devils got caught deep and allowed the Islanders to break out on an odd-man rush. Anthony Duclair ripped one by Jacob Markström to give the Islanders their second goal on just their second shot.
After that, it looked like the Devils had settled down and started pressuring Ilya Sorokin and the Islanders. However, Sorokin stood tall, and it only took one chance the other way to make it 3-0. Anthony Duclair had a step on the Devils defenseman, picked his corner, and beat Markström for his second goal of the game. The Devils, despite outshooting the Islanders 15-7, went into the locker room down 3-0 after one period.
Second Period
The Devils needed a strong start to the middle frame to get back in the game, however, they got the opposite. Strong offensive zone pressure from the Islanders led to Matthew Barzal finding Anthony Duclair, who finished off his hat trick. The veteran forward’s first hat trick since 2019 came in his first game back from being a healthy scratch and made it 4-0 Islanders.
Again, more pressure from the Devils resulted in zero goals, and soon after the Islanders capitalized on another opportunity. Markström couldn’t control a loose puck, and Simon Holmstrom found it and wrapped it around the Devils goalie’s pad to make it 5-0. Once again, the Devils outplayed the Islanders in the frame, outshooting them 19-10, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Third Period
The Devils started off the third with another strong power play that produced zero results. Soon after its expiration, Casey Cizikas went the other way and drove to the net. The 34-year-old forward slipped one through the five-hole of Markström to make it 6-0 Islanders.
The broken clock continued for the Devils as, once again after good pressure from New Jersey, the Islanders came the other way and Tony DeAngelo sniped one by Jacob Markström to make it 7-0.
The Islanders added insult to the wound when two more late goals from Calum Ritchie and Casey Cizikas made it 9-0. Finally, the clock hit zero on the new low point of the season for New Jersey.
Game Notes
Got To Turn It Around
At the beginning of the season, the Devils seemed to be winning at an unsustainable rate. Now the tables have turned, and the Devils are losing at an unsustainable rate. The Devils’ shooting percentage has dropped to an unfathomable 7.15% at five-on-five, which is by far the worst in the NHL. This was all encapsulated by a 45-save shutout by Ilya Sorokin in the blowout loss.
The team’s PDO, which is save percentage combined with shooting percentage, has also dropped toward the bottom of the league, sitting at 98.05%. The loss tonight was awful and seemingly cannot get much worse.
Concerns Surrounding Markström
Before Tuesday tonight, it had seemed like Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom had finally found his rhythm after a rough start to the season. He had registered a .941 save percentage (SV%) in his last four starts and looked to finally be turning his season around. With all that momentum, he showed up and played debatably the worst game of his career.
In his 555 games played in his career, this was the first time Markstrom has ever allowed nine goals in a game. His .625 SV% was also a career low for the 35-year-old goaltender, who seemingly allowed a goal on any chance the Islanders got. Once again, you will have to hope this is the worst it is going to get for Markström and the Devils.
What’s Next
The Devils will look to rebound on Thursday as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.