In the second game of a weekend back-to-back, the New Jersey Devils (18-14-1, 6th Metropolitan) fell to the Vancouver Canucks (12–17-3) 2-1 in a frustrating game. It was a strong effort for much of the game, but the Devils had higher expectations against the bottom-feeding Canucks.
First Period
The Devils got off to a floundering start as Dougie Hamilton got called for slashing seconds into the game. The Canucks took advantage of their early power play, with Jake DeBrusk punching it in on a give-and-go play with Connor Garland to take a 1-0 lead. This goal would not serve as a wake-up call for the Devils, who couldn’t get many opportunities as the period rolled on.
The Devils would make yet another mistake a few minutes later as Stefan Noesen got sent off for boarding. Vancouver capitalized again, this time with a goal from Zeev Buium, who scored while trying to pass to the crease, only for Brenden Dillion to deflect it accidentally. That goal took the air out of the Prudential Center as the Canucks took a 2-0 lead.
New Jersey lost even more momentum when they failed to capitalize on their power play opportunity later in the period. Tyler Myers and Kiefer Sherwood took minor penalties seconds apart, giving the Devils an extended five-on-three power play with an abbreviated five-on-four power play after. Thatcher Demko came up huge for the Canucks, stopping high-danger shots from Nico Hischier, Stefan Noesen, Luke Hughes, and Paul Cotter.
The Devils finally killed off their first penalty later in a special-teams-filled period. The Devils would go into the first intermission down 2-0. They were outshot 8-5 and earned a paltry 35.29 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) at five-on-five.
Second Period
The Canucks continued their hot start into the second period as they got a couple of nice chances in on Jacob Markström. The Devils finally had enough, however, as Luke Hughes scored on a pretty passing play with Dawson Mercer and Jesper Bratt four minutes into the period.
The Devils came back with momentum after scoring, but Vancouver played a tight defensive game to hold onto their one-goal lead. New Jersey got some nice looks on Demko, but they rarely got multiple shots out of one shift, and the Canucks made good breakout passes to force the Devils to tighten up and keep the game within reach. The Devils continued to put pressure on Vancouver, with Jesper Bratt nearly scoring, but Demko was well-positioned for the shot.
New Jersey played much better in the second period, notching a 60.53 CF% and a 67.2 expected goal percentage (xG%) at five-on-five to pair with a 13-6 shots-on-goal advantage.
Third Period
The Devils kept the pressure on in the third period but could not break the dam. Ondrej Palat got a scoring chance early on as he crashed the net, but Demko was equal to the challenge. The Canucks continued to play it tight and all but shut down the game, keeping most of the Devils’ offensive zone shifts to the perimeter while Demko cleaned up whatever made it through to him.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled Markström early, giving the Devils an extended six-on-five stint to try and tie the game. They smelled blood when Demko lost his stick, but he managed to cover the puck on a shot from Jesper Bratt to put out the fire. That would be New Jersey’s last real opportunity of the game.
The Devils played another strong period, earning a 65.22 CF% and an 84.06 xG%, but the Canucks shut them down effectively when it counted.
Result
The Devils played 40 minutes of good hockey, but 40 minutes wasn’t enough. Once again, a bad start doomed New Jersey to a wasted effort. Yesterday marked the Devils’ seventh loss in their last nine games. For the Canucks, it was their first win since they traded their star defenseman, Quinn Hughes, to the Minnesota Wild. Poetic, isn’t it?
Game Notes
- Thatcher Demko put the Canucks on his back for much of the second and third periods. He earned a .962 SV% and 1.75 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
- The Devils’ special teams let them down yet again, going 1-for-3 on penalty kills and 0-for-3 on the power play. Special teams have been a key weakness for the Devils as of late, especially their 25th-ranked penalty kill.
- Luke Hughes put in another solid effort, scoring his second goal in three games. He had only scored one goal before the game against the Lightning. He earned a 2.25 Game Score for his effort.
Up Next
The Devils will hit the road to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.