The New Jersey Devils had their two-game winning streak snapped today against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This thanks to a three-goal effort in the third by Pittsburgh which included an empty net goal.
Recap
First Period
The first period was very slow with both teams feeling each other out. Tristian Jarry and Jon Gillies made a few good saves and P.K. Subban blocked a Sifney Crosby shot that could have gone in. Besides that, it was fairly quiet as both teams went to their respective locker rooms scoreless.
Second Period
Period number two was an interesting one. Subban drove to the net with the puck following in after him. However, the goal was taken away for goaltender interference. Shortly after, Jack Hughes snipped a shot short-side on Jarry to give NJ the lead. Just a few minutes later, it was the Penguins who tied it off a great shot from Mike Matheson.
Each team had a few more good chances, with the Penguins getting a majority of them. Late in the period the officials called a too many men penalty that could be considered controversial. The Devils killed off the first three quarters of it before the period expired.
Third Period
The third period was the craziest of the three. It started off with a goal just as the penalty expired for Bryan Rust on a killer redirection. Shortly after that, Nico Hischier took a shot that went off Kris Letang’s skate, the near post, and the back of Tristan Jarry before going in.
Jon Gillies made a couple of fantastic saves to keep the game tied. However, it didn’t take long for the Penguins to eventually punch another one in. Former Devil Brian Boyle took a whack at a loose puck in front to give the Penguins their lead back. That lead would hold despite a few good chances for New Jersey. Jake Guentzel eventually put home the empty netter to seal the deal for Pittsburgh and get the Penguins a 4-2 win and first in the Metropolitan Division.
Notes
- Jack Hughes returned to the lineup tonight and certainly made an impact. He scored the first goal of the game to get him up to 13 goals and 28 points in 29 games so far this season. Over 82-games, that’s a 37 goal and 79 point pace which is certainly an improvement from even last season when he improved majorly.
- The Penguins are pretty clearly one of the best coached teams in the NHL. They showed that when they kept winning despite missing many key pieces for months at a time. And they showed it this afternoon when they put on an absolute clinic against the Devils. At five on five, they owned a 62 corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 50.68 expected goals percentage (xG%).
Next Up: Tampa Bay Lighting at 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday night at the Prudential Center