Game Summary 

Despite pelting Craig Anderson with a number of shots and quality scoring chances, the Devils weren’t able to get enough past him as they fell 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators to fall to 25-25-10 on the season. Kyle Turris and Erik Karlsson scored for the Ottawa Senators while Travis Zajac scored the lone goal for the Devils. New Jersey had a number of great scoring chances, but Craig Anderson was on top of his game; stopping 29 of 30 shots he faced on the night. With the trade deadline just a week away, the loss was most likely the final nail in the coffin on the Devils playoff hopes as reaching the projected 92 point cut off is almost out of reach.

Game Notes

• Although the Devils lost last night, they played one of their best games of the season. Against a depleted Senators team, the Devils were dominant at even-strength. They out-attempted Ottawa 64-34, out-chanced them 30-16 and had 10 high danger scoring chances as opposed to 2 for Ottawa. They just weren’t able to beat Craig Anderson, who continues to put up stellar numbers this season. If the Devils can put up more performances like that, they should at least making the final third of the season entertaining.

• The Devils top line of Taylor Hall/Travis Zajac/Kyle Palmieri continues to put up great numbers. They were the Devils best line on the night and have been over the course of the last few weeks. Hall (+25/-12) and Zajac (+22/-9) were both +13 in shot attempts when on the ice, while Palmieri was +18/-9. In addition to dominating possession, Palmieri added an assist, which now brings his point total to 20 in his last 28 games, while Zajac’s goal was his 5th point in his last 5 games. The Devils have found a consistently dominant top line, which is something they’ve had trouble with the entire season. Don’t expect these three to be broken up any time soon as Devils look to find some consistency scoring for the rest of the season.

• Although neither of them got on the scoresheet, Damon Severson and Kyle Quincey had a very solid outing paired together last night. Severson was +27/-10 in shot attempts when on the ice while Quincey was +25/-10. Severson was consistently joining the rush and had 4 shots on goal; tied with Miles Wood for a game-high. With the trade deadline approaching, Quincey’s days with the Devils may be drawing to a close, as the Devils will most likely look to trade him away. A couple of good performances from him, such as last night’s, may help bolster his trade value before the deadline hits.

• It’s easy to say this in hindsight, but I thought John Hynes waited way too long to pull Schneider for the extra attacker. I understand the Devils were dominant at even-strength last night, but they didn’t get the extra man out there until there was a minute left in the game and limited their opportunities to get any quality chances on Anderson. Even when they got the sixth man out there, they weren’t able to get anything going and never really sustained pressure on a Sens team that was on their heels all night long. Had the Devils gotten an extra skater on with a 2 to 2:30 left in the game, who knows what could’ve happened; especially with the way they played.