The New Jersey Devils (33-24-6) dropped a heartbreaker to the Dallas Stars (40-19-2) 4-3 on Tuesday night to wrap-up a five-game road trip. Without Jack Hughes, New Jersey battled back from a 3-1 deficit to seemingly force overtime before Thomas Harley won it for the Stars in the dying seconds. The Devils sit third in the Metropolitan Division, just six points ahead of the logjam for the second wild card berth.
Game Summary
First Period
The Devils went behind the eight-ball early when Wyatt Johnston opened the scoring 1:39 in. After Luke Hughes was caught in deep on an offensive zone turnover, Johnston beat Dougie Hamilton down the ice and went over Jacob Markstrom’s glove.
Dallas had several chances to extend the lead after New Jersey continued to turn the puck over in its own end. However, Jacob Markstrom was equal to each opportunity.
The Devils had a glorious chance to equalize just past the midway point in the frame, but Casey DeSmith made a sprawling pad save to deny Jesper Bratt on a rebound in tight.
Johnston had another breakaway moments later, but this time Markstrom came up with the glove save.
Late in the period, Dougie Hamilton hobbled to the bench after getting tangled up with Mason Marchment in the corner. He did not return to start the second period.
When the horn sounded for intermission, it was 1-0 Dallas. Shots were 10-9 Stars while the Devils registered a 50.00 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 43.36 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five.
Second Period
Dallas had the game’s first power play early in the second after Erik Haula high-sticked Roope Hintz. The Stars only had one shot on that power play, but Markstrom made a great blocker save to tip Hintz’s slot shot onto the post after a nice passing play.
New Jersey had a shorthanded chance late in the kill with Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier on a two-on-one, but DeSmith came across to deny Hischier on a one-timer.
The Stars doubled the lead when Ilya Lyubushkin sniped a shot over Markstrom’s blocker with 13 minutes left in the period. It was Lyubushkin’s first goal since March of 2023, a span of 147 games.
New Jersey had a chance to respond with a man advantage. Without Jack Hughes, Bratt took over the left flank while Timo Meier joined the top unit in Bratt’s customary right flank. Six seconds in, Hischier in the bumper set up Meier who buried a one timer, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Unfortunately, New Jersey could not build on that momentum when Brendan Dillon was sent to the box just 17 seconds after the goal for a high-sticking penalty. The Devils did kill it off, though, holding Dallas to one shot.
Things quieted down a bit after that, with neither team creating any golden chances. However, with a minute to go, Jonathan Kovacevic was collared for delay of game after clearing the puck over the glass.
40 seconds into the kill, Luke Hughes slashed Matt Duchene, sending Dallas to a five-on-three. With 12 seconds left in the period, Roope Hintz made it 3-1 from the slot.
In the second period, shots were 9-7 in favor of New Jersey. The Devils posted a 69.57 CF% and a 77.22 xGF% at five-on-five.
Third Period
The third period began with 1:34 of carry-over power play time for Dallas, but New Jersey killed it off.
Dallas had its fifth power play of the night after Stefan Noesen took a tripping penalty in the offensive zone. The Devils killed it off, though, and immediately had their second power play of the game after Curtis Lazar was tripped.
On the ensuing man advantage, Nico Hischier deflected home a Luke Hughes wrister from the high slot, cutting it to 3-2 with 7:42 to go.
The Devils continued to push on the forecheck, hunting an equalizing goal. Jesper Bratt drew a penalty while driving hard to the net. With the extra skater out on the delayed call, Brett Pesce found a loose puck in the slot and ripped it home off the crossbar and in through a maze of bodies. Pesce’s second marker of the season tied it at three with 4:08 to play.
With the Devils still in control and the game heading toward overtime, Jonathan Kovacevic iced the puck with 14 seconds to go. With Nico Hischier stuck on the bench, Mikael Granlund won the faceoff against Erik Haula. Dallas’ first shot was blocked into the corner, but the Stars retained possession and worked the puck to Thomas Harley who beat a screened Jacob Markstrom, giving Dallas a 4-3 lead with four seconds to play that would obviously hold up.
In the third, shots were 10-4 Devils. New Jersey managed a 71.43 CF% and a 93.31 xGF% at five-on-five.
Wrap-Up
For the game, shots were 28-21 in favor of New Jersey. The Devils finished with a 61.54 CF% and a 64.04 xGF% at five-on-five.
After skating gingerly to the bench late in the first period, Dougie Hamilton did not return to the bench. He played just 5:15. Sheldon Keefe had no update after the game, per Amanda Stein.
Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 of 21 shots in the loss. He allowed 1.65 goals above expected.
Game Notes
Strong Showing From Power Play
Despite the absence of Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, the Devils were excellent with the man advantage on Tuesday.
The reworked top unit included Timo Meier on the right flank and Dawson Mercer taking Stefan Noesen’s net front role while Luke Hughes manned the point. Chemistry was no issue as the Devils connected for two power play goals in just 37 seconds of game time.
The Devils third goal did not come on the power play, but it did come with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty call. That goal also came with Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Timo Meier on the ice, with Bratt being the one to draw the penalty.
Without Hughes, the Devils will need that trio to shoulder the load offensively, and will need the power play to take advantage of its chances. New Jersey did both on Tuesday, which was an encouraging sign, despite the loss.
Brett Pesce Solid
After Dougie Hamilton went down late in the first period, the Devils had rotating defensive pairs all night. One blueliner who stood out was Brett Pesce.
Pesce finished the night with a 73.40 xGF%, an 11-6 edge in scoring chances, and a 4-1 edge in high-danger chances. Pesce’s xGF% led New Jersey defensemen on Tuesday, not to mention his clutch game-tying goal that will unfortunately be a footnote in a disappointing result.
Second Line Promising
With Sheldon Keefe having to shuffle the forward lines, New Jersey rolled a second line of Ondrej Palat and Tomas Tatar on the wings with Dawson Mercer at center. In 10:34 of ice time together, the trio posted a 94.79 xGF% and a 6-1 edge in scoring chances.
Of course, this was a small sample size, but it was encouraging to see a line without Hughes or Hischier not just hold their own, but tilt the ice in the Devils’ favor for the first time in seemingly weeks. New Jersey will certainly need that line to continue that play over the next month if the team wants to hold on to a playoff spot.
What’s Next
The Devils return home to face the league-leading Winnipeg Jets. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick