It was a reunion in Calgary. Jacob Markstrom made his return since the big trade and the Flames honored captain Michael Backlund playing his 1,000th game. After coming off a big win against the Vancouver Canucks, the Devils got shutout by Dan Vladar and the Calgary Flames 3-0.

Game Recap

First Period

The first period was all Flames to start. The ceremony added some extra juice in their legs and they had the first five shots on goal. Jacob Markstrom was dialed in and was in key position to see the pucks and make the saves. The Flames continued to push the pace, but the Devils eventually pushed back. Both teams would get power play opportunities, but could not cash in. The teams headed to the second period scoreless. 

The Flames got the jump on the Devils from the start and outplayed them in the first period. They outshot the Devils 12-5 in all situations and 11-3 during five-on-five. They controlled the pace of the period with a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 64.29 and generated more scoring chances.

Second Period

The second period had good pace to start. Both teams traded great chances, first by former Devil Yegor Sharangovich and then Jack Hughes skated alone on a breakaway. The Devils poured it on at the end of the period, but could not capitalize. Both teams headed to the third period scoreless. 

The puck possession was much closer this period, with shot attempts being in the Flames favor 17-15. Shots on goal were much closer as well. Despite the teams being able to generate their looks, not much came from the high-danger areas of the ice. The Devils held the edge in high-danger attempts 4-1 and expected goals 0.6-0.37.

Note, Nathan Bastian missed the rest of the game due to a jaw injury. 

Third Period 

The third period belonged to the Flames. In a span of two minutes, they scored three goals. Former Devil Blake Coleman deflected a Kevin Bahl snapshot past Markstrom to break the tie. 25 seconds later, Jonathan Huberdeau executed a perfect two-on-one that extended the lead. Coleman scored his second of the game and the Devils lost 3-0. 

Game Notes 

• The Devils penalty kill was spectacular. The Flames went 0-for-4 in the man advantage. The Devils allowed just four shots on goal while on the penalty kill, with the Flames generating just 0.76 expected goals. 

• Despite the loss, Markstrom was good in net. He was dialed in, making key saves from the start. Markstrom finished the game with a .935 save percentage and played right at his expected rate with 0.7 goals saved above expected. 

What’s Next? 

The Devils wrap up the road trip against the Edmonton Oilers Monday night.