Overview
The New Jersey Devils lost to the Boston Bruins in a 4-2 game last night at the Prudential Center. It was a mixed bag for New Jersey last night; they had some extremely frustrating miscues but were competitive all night long. They were missing a few key players, so it was always going to be a challenge to beat the best team in the NHL, but they performed admirably.
First Period
The Devils played a tight first period, keeping the puck out of their own end and getting some good chances in the Bruins’ zone. They played with great intensity, taking some of the pressure off the defense and goaltending. Jack Hughes scored the only goal of the period, sniping a high shot past Linus Ullmark seconds into a power play. The Devils dominated possession in the first period, securing a 70.59 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 67.11 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%).
Second Period
The game went pretty much in the opposite direction in the second frame. Patrice Bergeron scored a nasty goal early on, deflecting a Jake DeBrusk shot from the point past MacKenzie Blackwood.
Boston followed that up with a David Pasternak goal off a misplay by MacKenzie Blackwood. He wasn’t done yet, however, scoring another after wisely waiting for Jonas Siegenthaler to get down to block a shot and take his stick out of the play.
On top of that, the Bruins scored another when DeBrusk capitalized on a mistake from Kevin Bahl.
The Devils did not play well in the second period, and it was reflected in the possession metrics. They achieved a 36.11 CF% and a 38.19 xGF%.
Third Period
If they wanted to try and mount a comeback, the Devils would need a wake-up call in the third period. They didn’t get it immediately, playing an unexciting first ten minutes save for a near-goal from Jesper Bratt. After that, however, they ratcheted up the pressure, playing high-energy hockey in the offensive zone.
They capitalized 11 minutes in with a Tomas Tatar goal off a rebound. Ullmark had a discussion with the refs about the goal, but no challenge came from Boston’s bench. Yegor Sharangovich (or should we say, Santagovich?) followed that up with a goal of his own to make it 4-3.
The Devils had all the momentum, and it seemed like they would steal the game away. They played with fire, but, unfortunately, nothing came of it. After a frenzied empty-net stand, the horn sounded on the 4-3 loss.
The Devils bounced back after a very poor second, notching a 77.78 CF% and a 76.56 xGF% in the third period.
Results
Even though the Devils lost and even though they’ve lost six of their last seven, it was a solid night overall. They played good hockey down some of their best players and showed resilience after trailing 4-1. There’s no getting around facing the best team in the NHL with some adverse conditions, but the Devils proved they can hang with the best last night.
The Devils are now 22-10-2, four points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. The Bruins now own a 27-4-2 record, maintaining their lead over the Atlantic Division.
Game Notes
Where Are the Saves, Blackwood?
Head coach Lindy Ruff decided to play the hot hand last night by starting MacKenzie Blackwood in net. The result? He posted a .778 save percentage on 18 shots and was pulled for Vitek Vanecek in the third period. That sounds bad on paper, but he wasn’t completely awful.
He should have saved the first David Pastrnak goal, but he wasn’t at fault for the other three. That’s not to say he was good – which he wasn’t – because a good goalie would have made some of those big saves.
Take the second Pastrnak goal when Jonas Siegenthaler blew his coverage by getting down to block, Pastrnak had an open lane to shoot from the slot and sniped it past Blackwood. The goal wasn’t his fault because it would have been a point-blank stop, but a consistently good goalie could have made that save.
Though Blackwood didn’t lose the game for New Jersey, he killed any momentum they had in the second period.
Tatar Gets Hot
One bright spot from last night was Tomas Tatar, who had a goal and an assist. He also had a goal on Wednesday, giving him two goals and three points in his last two games. The Devils dominated when he was on the ice. He had a 78.13 CF% and a 76.97 xGF%.
Up Next
The Devils will look for revenge over Boston when they come back from the holiday break on December 28th.