Match Summary
The New Jersey Devils’ 5-3 loss to the Calgary Flames can be best described as a night where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. That being said, they did have a few shining moments (mostly late in the game), but these were overshadowed by their post-collapse listlessness. From shoddy goaltending and mismatched lines to overall sloppiness, it was an all-around night to forget for Jersey.
First Period
The Devils were embarrassingly outplayed from the moment the puck dropped. They were hemmed into their own zone for the first few shifts, but they were on pace to recover. That was until Milan Lucic’s goal crossed the line and put the Flames up 1-0. Add two more goals in from Andrew Mangiapane and Elias Lindholm and suddenly Nico Daws was being pulled. Daws was a key contributor to the Devils’ defeat, but it was unreasonable to assume the not yet NHL-ready goalie could repeat his lockdown performance of a few nights ago. And the cherry on top Mangiapane scored another, sending the Devils into the locker room down 4-0 after one.
Most of the blame for New Jersey’s catastrophic first period should lie with Lindy Ruff. Ever since the Jack Hughes injury, Ruff has been switching the lines frequently and unreasonably, changing them mid-game when he realizes the new ones are not working. That was no different tonight, the forward lines were underwhelming at best and the defensive switch of Damon Severson and Ryan Graves was ill-informed.
Second Period
Even when Pavel Zacha scored to cut the Flames lead to 4-1, it was clear to all those who were watching that the Devils were almost completely out of it. In addition, after a bad first period, Jesper Bratt was notably benched in the second period. This decision was also probably an ill-informed overreaction to a bad period from an otherwise good player. The Devils weren’t completely helpless, however, buzzing late in the second and showing signs of life.
Third Period
The final period was undoubtedly New Jersey’s best, scoring two goals and looking competitive. Of course, this happened during garbage time, so take it with a grain of salt, but still, it’s something! The Devils’ goals came from Dawson Mercer (on another great play) and Pavel Zacha (his second of the night).
Results
It is an understatement to say last night was a disappointment, but it is inaccurate to say the Devils didn’t at least try to pick up the pieces. Yes, they were overly lethargic in the first and most of the second periods, but they showed hustle in an unwinnable third. The players weren’t totally at fault, but that doesn’t excuse the Devils’ most infuriating loss of the season.
The person most at fault, was, of course, head coach Lindy Ruff. As mentioned earlier, Ruff’s decision-making was highly questionable, causing a domino effect that sent the Devils into a tailspin. The past few games have been shades of the John Hynes era, lineup changes and chaos hindering the team. The cracks are starting to show in Coach Ruff’s regime, and if this kind of play continues, he will be in trouble.
With last night’s loss, the Devils now have a 3-2-0 record, good for seventh in the Metropolitan Division. The Flames are cruising at 4-1-1 and are in second in the Pacific Division.
Up Next
The Devils will face the Penguins in their first road game of the season on Saturday at 7:00.