First Period

The first period was dominated by the New Jersey Devils for the most part, with a few glimpses of hope for the Vancouver Canucks. The Devils got 13 shots on net to the Canucks six, setting the tone for a hard-fought game. Though both teams had chances on the man advantage, neither team capitalized.

Second Period

Just three minutes into the second period, Elias Pettersson sniped one top right on Mackenzie Blackwood on the powerplay to make it 1-0 Canucks. This powerplay was the consequence of a Drew Stafford tripping, a penalty he was called for in Edmonton on Wednesday, both resulted in a goal against.

Third Period

After two minutes in the third, Tanner Pearson came in on the rush and whiffed a shot wide, but Blackwood somehow sticked it into his own net, making it 2-0. You have to wonder if it affected the goalie’s psyche after letting up nine goals against Calgary on Tuesday. This goal was obviously a fluke, but hopefully Devils fans are more forgiving than they were with Keith Kinkaid. Not thirty seconds after that, Kurtis Gabriel got a boarding penalty, his second penalty of the game. But just as the momentum seemed to be seized by the Canucks, Kevin Rooney scored a rebound goal off of a Connor Carrick shot. New Jersey continued to get opportunities, and tied the game at 2-2 when Stefan Noesen buried the puck off a rebound in front. Despite chances on both ends at the end of the period, the game remained 2-2, calling for overtime.

Overtime

Just one minute in, Kenny Agostino had a chance on a wraparound, but Alex Edler conveniently ran into the net right before his shot. The 3-on-3 play went back and forth, with Blackwood making a huge save on a Canucks 3-on-1, and Markstrom making key saves on Carrick and Coleman. Yet, neither team could convert in overtime bringing the game to a shootout.

SHOOTOUT

Pettersson went first for the Canucks and scored one of the nicest shootout goals you’ll ever see.

THAT. IS. RUDE! 😱 pic.twitter.com/HGOxbrE85p

— NHL (@NHL) March 16, 2019

Oh my word.

On the Devils second attempt, Drew Stafford responded with a shot post-in to tie it up 1-1. The shootout would go on for seven rounds until, finally, Damon Severson stepped up to the plate. Sevo deked and shelved it top right on Markstrom, finishing off the comeback win in the shootout. After the game, Severson told Amanda Stein “I knew I could score the winner.”

Takeaways

The Devils mounted a comeback win in the shootout, which has to be huge for Mackenzie Blackwood’s confidence coming off of the Calgary game. One thing the Devils need to work on is coming out of the intermission stronger since the game’s goals came in the first four minutes after intermission. Stefan Noesen had a great game, tallying seven shots, five hits, and a goal. Connor Carrick stepped up offensively, going +2 with four shots and an assist. Kenny Agostino also played well, with an assist on Kevin Rooney’s goal, continuing to show he deserves to be signed this summer.

Three Stars

1. Elias Pettersson
2. Stefan Noesen
3. Jacob Markstrom