The New Jersey Devils (5-4-2) fell 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders (3-2-2) at the Prudential Center on Friday. The loss was a fourth straight for the Devils who are now 0-2 in the extra session this season.
Game Summary
First Period
It was a disastrous start for New Jersey when Brock Nelson deflected home an Adam Pelech point shot. His redirection gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead just 1:23 into the game.
New York kept the pressure up following the goal. Kyle MacLean was tripped by Jonas Siegenthaler on the forecheck, giving the Islanders the first power play of the night less than three minutes after the goal.
However, the Devils killed off the man advantage and grew into the contest.
With just under nine minutes left in the period, the Islanders iced the puck. On the ensuing shift, Jesper Bratt found Nico Hischier, and the captain stayed red hot. His eighth of the season tied the game at one.
The good vibes did not last long, though. The shift following the goal, Brendan Dillon was called for slashing. With just two seconds left on the power play, Anders Lee buried a loose puck, restoring the Islanders’ lead with six minutes left in the period.
After one, shots were 13-8 Islanders. At five-on-five, the Devils registered a 56.25 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 41.22 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%).
Second Period
Early in the second period, Kurtis MacDermid threw a massive open-ice hit on Alexander Romanov. Scott Mayfield grabbed MacDermid to drop the gloves, and was called for roughing, so New Jersey got an early power play.
Kyle MacLean had a great shorthanded chance after Dougie Hamilton caught an edge, but Jake Allen fought it off. MacLean had another golden opportunity after picking Luke Hughes’ pocket, but again, Allen made a big save.
Despite the successful New York penalty kill, the Devils kept pushing forward. Paul Cotter took the puck behind the net and centered it to Curtis Lazar. Lazar fired a one-timer through the five-hole of Ilya Sorokin to tie the game at two five minutes into the period.
The Islanders got their lead back, though, when a trailing Romanov fired a one-timer that was deflected home by Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri’s third of the year made it 3-2 New York with 8:32 left in the middle frame.
Dawson Mercer had a chance to tie things up once again, but Sorokin made a great save on a breakaway.
In the final minutes of the period, the Islanders turned it over right to Jack Hughes in the slot, but Sorokin came up huge again. Hughes was tripped after the shot and the Devils went back to the power play with 1:04 remaining. They couldn’t capitalize right away, though, and went to the locker room down 3-2.
In the second period, shots were 14-12 Devils while New Jersey posted a 48.65 CF% and a 66.59 xGF% at five-on-five.
Third Period
In the 56 seconds of carry-over power play time, the Devils created a couple of good looks, but could not beat Sorokin.
New Jersey continued to push forward, getting the first five shots of the period. The best chance came off a Luke Hughes wraparound where Dawson Mercer shoveled the rebound just wide.
The Islanders had a chance to double their advantage after Dougie Hamilton hauled down Kyle MacLean to prevent a tap-in rebound. The Devils killed it off though, keeping it a 3-2 game with nine minutes to play.
As the final minutes ticked away, the Devils continued to push, but could not really test Sorokin. Jake Allen was forced into a big save on Anders Lee on the other end of the ice to keep it a one-goal game with three minutes to go.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled Allen with 1:50 to play, and New Jersey took advantage. Jesper Bratt found a loose puck at the side of the crease and stashed a backhander through Sorokin. Bratt’s second of the year tied the game at three with 1:30 to go.
Neither team could find a late winner, and the buzzer sounded for overtime at 3-3.
In the third, shots were 11-4 Devils. Meanwhile, at five-on-five, New Jersey had a 66.67 CF% and a 55.01 xGF%.
Overtime
Sheldon Keefe sent out Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Brett Pesce, and ten seconds in, Hischier ripped one off the crossbar.
When the Islanders regained possession, Mat Barzal found Bo Horvat who had circled the net and buried a one-timer, winning the game for the Islanders.
Wrap-Up
For the game, shots were 35-30 in favor of New Jersey. The Devils posted a 55.91 CF% and 54.60 xGF% at five-on-five for the night.
In net, Jake Allen got the loss, allowing four goals on 30 shots. He allowed 0.69 goals above expected.
Ilya Sorokin got the win for the Islanders, turning aside 32 of 35 shots and stopping 0.77 goals above expected.
Game Notes
Rough Night For “Fourth Line”
The Devils did not have a traditional fourth line in this contest, opting to dress Kurtis MacDermid. MacDermid played just 2:24 in all situations, so Tomas Tatar and Curtis Lazar often found themselves skating with different linemates.
It is safe to say that did not pay off. Despite MacDermid’s big hit, none of the three listed fourth liners managed to crack a 20.00 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%). Unsurprisingly, those were the lowest three figures on the team.
Another Up-and-Down Game for Hughes and Pesce
There were certainly some positives to take away from Friday’s performance from the Hughes-Pesce partnership. The two led the New Jersey blueline in ice time at five-on-five as they work back from injury.
However, the two also had the lowest xGF% among New Jersey defensemen with Hughes posting a 46.05 and Pesce a 39.69. Of course, they will be facing some tough matchups with that much ice time, but regardless, it was worrying how many chances they allowed.
Pesce, in particular, was on the ice for five high-danger chances against, the most among all Devils skaters at five-on-five. Meanwhile, the 1.60 expected goals against when Pesce was on the ice was half a goal higher than any other Devil.
With the other pairs still playing well, there isn’t a rush to hit the panic button, although there is a slight red flag with this pairing early on.
Top Line Looks Good
On the bright side, the Devils top line had another solid night. The trio of Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and Timo Meier posted a 71.65 xGF% in their nearly ten minutes together at five-on-five.
The line also had a 6-1 advantage in high-danger chances together, while Hischier tallied his fifth goal in four games. It certainly appears Sheldon Keefe has found his top line.
What’s Next
The Devils have one more game on this homestand on Sunday night against the Ducks. Puck drop between New Jersey and Anaheim is set for 7:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.