The Devils weren’t able to close out the Canadiens as they fell in OT to move to 0-2-2 in their last four games. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Matchup Overview
The New Jersey Devils extended their winless streak to four games (0-2-2) after losing 4-3 in overtime to the Montreal Canadiens. There were multiple points in the game where a victory seemed like a sure thing for the Devils, who twice led by two goals. Kyle Palmieri opened the scoring with less than a minute to go in what was for the most part, an uneventful first period. It was Palmieri’s 19th of the season and his fifth goal in seven games. The Devils maintained their 1-0 lead through the second period, and doubled up after John Moore scored his sixth of the year 2:38 into the third; his first goal since returning from his concussion.
The two-goal lead only lasted 11 seconds when Alexander Radulov netted his 15th off a quick snipe in between the hash marks. The Devils regained their two-goal lead 7:54 into the third when Travis Zajac scored his 13th of the season on the power play. That second two-goal lead, however, only lasted 31 seconds when Max Pacioretty scored his 30th of the season. Pacioretty would tie the game for the Habs with 53 seconds left to send the game into overtime, where Alex Galchenyuk won the game for Montreal by scoring his 14th of the year with 2:06 left.
Takeaways
The writing on the wall…As previously mentioned, last night’s overtime loss puts the Devils winless streak at four games (0-2-2). They’re currently seven points out of the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with 20 games left. While a lengthy multi-game winning streak could still put them back in the race, general manager Ray Shero has to be thinking with a present mindset and should commit to selling off assets between now and Wednesday.
Palmieri continues his strong second-half…After that slow start to the season, right wing Kyle Palmieri continues to impress with his play. He scored his team-leading 19th goal of the season tonight, which (as previously mentioned) was his fifth in seven games. It’s encouraging to see this consistency from him, even if it’s clearly not enough to put the Devils over the top in games.