The New Jersey Devils road trip comes to a close and ends in horrible fashion. After seeing the Flyers set a franchise record for three goals in 26 seconds, the Devils didn’t recover from that dreadful start and lose the final three games on their trip.
Game Recap
First Period
The Devils got things started with the first goal of the game and coming on the power play. Jesper Bratt fired a shot that caused the puck to pop up in the air off the initial save. Timo Meier picked it up and dropped it to tap it into the open net. That joy for the Devils lasted 1:30 and then the wheels came off the track.
Noah Cates tied the game after banging home a rebound off a Zamula shot. Then, the Flyers rattled off three goals in a span of 26 seconds. Sean Couturier sprung Matvei Michkov in on a breakaway to make it 2-1 and Tyler Foerster scored two quick goals and the Devils’ 1-0 lead turned into a 4-1 deficit.
This was as dominant of a period by the Flyers as it gets. The shot attempts and shots on goal were slim margins. However, the Flyers dominated the expected goals share at 86.55%. Quality was more in the Flyers favor this period.
Second Period
The Flyers got the period started with a goal to extend their lead. At the 11:42 mark of the second period, Bobby Brink scored his sixth goal of the year. Five minutes later, the Devils responded as the big line went to work.
Upon zone entry by Timo Meier, the puck got cycled back to the blue line where Luke Hughes took control. Hughes took the puck down the sidewall slipping around a defender and fed a pass to Nico Hischier to make it a 5-2 deficit. The Devils did put forth a better effort, but still found themselves trailing into the third period.
When it came to the quantity approach, the Devils controlled the shot attempts share 21-14 at five-on-five. They put forth a better effort this period and even put forth more quality chances this period than the first. The Devils controlled the expected goals share 0.87-0.73. However, just 0.89 expected goals for through the first two periods at five-on-five isn’t ideal and shows how low event the offense is.
Third Period
Much like the first period, the Devils struck first. It took until the 13:27 mark of the third period, but with the goalie pulled, Nico Hischier scored his second of the game. A Jesper Bratt shot was deflected by Hischier into the net to make it 5-3. The Devils kept pressing hard, but the Flyers responded quickly to put the dagger into the Devils’ hearts. Trevor Zegras scored two minutes after the Hischier goal and extended the lead to 6-3. A tough pill to swallow for the Devils, as they have lost three games in a row.
Wrap Up
This was a disastrous start for the Devils and it led to their third straight loss on this road trip. Four goals scored in the first period in a span of 3:32 and the Devils couldn’t recover. Nico Hischier scored two goals and a three point game and Jesper Bratt finished with two assists. Not the strongest performance by Jake Allen, who certainly had an off night tonight.
Game Notes
- The Devils from a quality standpoint haven’t done too much. Saturday night, they finished with 2.22 expected goals at five-on-five play. It’s a step up from the 1.71 expected goals for against the Panthers and 1.95 against the Lightning, but they’ve taken the quantity over quality approach during this road trip.
- Not the strongest night in net for Jake Allen. He allowed six goals on 29 shots, good for a .793 save percentage. Furthermore, he finished the game with -2.35 goals saved above expected. Goaltending remains a question mark for this club to a certain degree.
What’s Next
The Devils return home and take on the Detroit Red Wings Monday night.