The New Jersey Devils (23-11-3) braced for a Carolina Hurricanes (25-6-6) team that had won 10 in a row. They felt their wrath as New Jersey were outshot 46-28. Though, the Devils, on the back of two Jesper Bratt goals, were able to stick tough and force overtime. Unfortunately, New Jersey fell in a shootout by the score of 5-4.
Game Overview
The first period featured three minor penalties being called, but none resulted in the goal. The period ultimately ended 0-0, but the Devils were severely outplayed. At five-on-five the Hurricanes owned 21 shot attempts to only four from the Devils.
The Devils were much better overall in period two but that was not reflected on the scoreboard. For the Hurricanes, Derek Stepan scored off a two-on-one where Ryan Graves went down and Mackenzie Blackwood overplayed the shooter. Then, at the end of the period, Mackenzie Blackwood misplayed a loose puck leading to an ugly goal against.
Sandwiched in between the two Carolina goals the Devils were able to get a tally. Jack Hughes scored a beautiful goal off a partial breakaway. He staved off one of the best defensive defenseman in the league in Jaccob Slavin, and beat Antti Raanta. When it was all said and done, the Hurricanes led 2-1 after two periods.
The third period was a wild one. In total, five goals were scored. Jesper Bratt scored twice and Nico Hischier once. Interestingly enough, the Devils had a 4-3 lead at one point, though, an embellishment penalty called on Jonas Siegenthaler, when he was tripped, changed the landscape of the remainder of the game.
The Devils had to battle through a four-on-three and a five-on-four penalty kill and as a result, conceded one goal. This, the game-tying goal, forced the contest to overtime. In overtime, thanks to some massive saves by Mackenzie Blackwood, each team was scoreless and a shootout resulted. The Hurricanes scored the only goal of the shootout and emerged with their 11th-straight win, 5-4.
Wrap Up
Despite not generating a ton the Devils had somewhat of a scoring explosion. Jesper Bratt had a much-needed three-point afternoon (two goals and an assist) and Tomas Tatar had two assists. Meanwhile, Jack Hughes scored his 21st goal of the season and Nico Hischier his 16th of the year. Mackenzie Blackwood, despite the one blunder, was busy, saving 43 of 47.
Game Notes
- If you couldn’t tell the Carolina Hurricanes are legit. There is a reason why they surpassed the Devils as the best five-on-five team in the NHL. Carolina held the shot-attempt differential 62-31 and scoring-chance differential 23-15 at five-on-five. Not many teams have dominated the Devils like that at even strength. The Devils were lucky to come away with a point.
- Another game, and another contest decided by penalties. It really spiraled in the third period when the Devils took several undisciplined penalties after dueling minors were called on Jonas Siegenthaler and Teuvo Teravainen. Ultimately, these penalties resulted in the Devils conceding the game-tying goal and losing the game. Of course, the embellishment penalty, which was an egregious miscall by the official, did have a huge impact on the game. Though, the Devils shot themselves in the foot numerous times.
- Mackenzie Blackwood turned in a fine game. He did have an embarrassing blunder, but outside that, was mostly strong. The Hurricanes had 90 total shot attempts, 38 scoring chances, and 18 high-danger chances, that is a lot of action Blackwood had to contend with. In a mostly frustrating season, this was a performance Blackwood can hopefully build on.
What’s Next?
Next up for the Devils are the Redwings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 P.M. ET puck drop and can be seen excursively on TNT.
Statistics via Natural Stat Trick.