Last night the New Jersey Devils (34-13-4) were able to win the “Cryptid Cup” at home. They defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-1 and took three of four points from them on the season.
The win was the team’s fifth straight at home, which comes after losing nine in a row at the rock. It was the Devils first home regulation win since December sixth, a 3-0 win vs Chicago.
Recap
Period One
The Devils came out looking sluggish in their first game without star forward Jack Hughes. After falling to an 11-2 shot disadvantage, the team went on a run following a strong penalty kill.
They outshot Seattle 5-1 in the final minutes, but both Phillip Grubauer and Mackenzie Blackwood were up to the task. The game was tied after one.
Period Two
The second period was fairly even, with each team exchanging chances that were shut down by the netminders. Eventually an Adam Larsson point shot off Miles Wood’s stick was able to beat Mackenzie Blackwood to put the Kraken up one.
Shortly after, the Devils went to the power play where they would score just seconds in from a Dougie Hamilton blast. The game stayed tied at one through two.
Period Three
It took a while for the third period to get going. However, exactly halfway through another Dougie Hamilton bomb found the net on the power play. Just seconds later, the Kraken thought they tied it on a great chance in front from Jared McCann, but Mackenzie Blackwood said no.
Following some more back and forth play, eventually the Kraken pulled Grubauer. Just seconds later it was John Marino who skated up the ice and nailed the yawning cage. The Devils would hold on in the final moments to win 3-1.
Game Notes
Life Without Hughes
While we don’t know exactly how long Jack Hughes is going to be out, week-to-week certainly isn’t ideal. The MVP candidate is going to miss some time and while New Jersey was able to pull out a win tonight they’re most likely going to need to spread the wealth of the top line if they’re going to sustain this success.
Hopefully, a 21.61 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) from the trio of Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Ondrej Palat helps head coach Lindy Ruff make that decision.
Is Mac Back?
While on a basic statistical level Blackwood is having a below average season, tonight showed the potential he’s flashed throughout his career. His save percentage (SV%) is still lackluster on the season, but that statistics doesn’t show the whole picture.
Goals saved above expected (GSAx) measures a goaltenders performance with the quality of chances factored in. Blackwood happens to have a positive GSAx on the season, with it getting up to +2.11 on the season. Impressive stuff from a guy who most write-off constantly.
What’s Next
The Devils are back in action on Saturday as they’ll travel to Minnesota to face the Wild. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 P.M. ET puck drop.