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Match Summary
That game last night was something else. That is simply the best way to describe what happened as the New Jersey Devils lost 8-4 to the Winnipeg Jets last night. After stumbling to an early three-goal deficit to start the game (an all-too-familiar story), the Devils mounted a massive comeback, scoring four unanswered, and everyone lived happily ever after. That was, until, the Jets scored five unanswered goals of their own to kill the Devils’ hopes. It was a game of offense, it was a game of comebacks, it was a game of ugliness, it was Devils’ hockey. There’s no way around it, this was one of the most frustratingly, awful game all season, no doubt about it.
First Period
The first period of this game looked like many others in this losing streak: the Devils were asleep and went down early, with goals coming from Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Kristan Vesalainen. But the Devils flipped the script, scoring two of their own courtesy of Damon Severson and Jack Hughes. Despite the one-goal deficit, the Devils were optimistic heading into the second period.
Second Period
If the first period was a bit unusual, the second period was absolutely wild. The Devils continued their fantastic end to the first period with two goals just seconds apart from Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves. New Jersey had silenced Canada Life Center. However, as Pavel Zacha rang it off the post in an attempt to make it a 5-3 game, the tide visibly turned in favor of the Jets. The result: three goals from Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey, and another from Scheifele to put the Devils back in their place. All these goals, and the Jets on had an expected goals for (xGF) of 0.88 over this time period. For the Devils, a trend that would only continue in the final period.
Third Period
Whereas the first two periods definitely had their merits, the third period (continuing from the end of the second) was an unmitigated disaster. Winnipeg had most likely already slammed the door when they went up 6-4 as another comeback would have been highly unlikely. However, they stuffed two past MacKenzie Blackwood, who had replaced Johnathan Bernier at the start of the third, making it 8-4. Mark Scheifele scored another, giving him the hat-trick. The game ended unceremoniously, and the Devils headed into the locker room for what was likely to be a long and tense discussion.
Results
Coming into this game, the Jets and Devils were in nearly identical situations: they were both hovering just above hockey .500 and were both in the midst of very tough stretches. It would have been a real morale booster if the Devils had won against a team like that, it would have given them the confidence they so desperately needed. They did have that confidence for a fraction of a second, but it quickly dwindled and died. Now, they’re back to square one on digging themselves out of the mess they’ve made.
With last night’s loss, the Devils have dropped to a record of 9-9-4 and sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Jets, on the other hand, improved to a record of 11-8-1 and are in fourth place in the Central Division.
Keys to the Game
Oh No… Goaltending Issues
For the past two seasons, the Devils were supposed to have one of the most solid goaltending tandems in the league. In 2020, it would have been Blackwood and Corey Crawford. In 2021, it was supposed to be Blackwood and Bernier. One never got off the ground, and the other has failed to launch. Okay, that is definitely an over-exaggeration, but it is hard to deny their struggles as of late. Last night, the Devils had an xGA of 2.54, but their goaltenders let in a combined eight goals. That is simply unacceptable, even if the defense didn’t play well in front of them. Just take a look at the Mark Scheifele goal above. That should have been a fairly easy stop by Bernier.
Although he has a save percentage (SV%) of around .911, MacKenzie Blackwood has had three rough nights in a row, including his partial game last night. Bernier too was coming off a lackluster game in which he put up a .900 SV%, and his performance last night was his worst of the season, no doubt about it. This may be harsh towards Blackwood and Bernier because they have played well overall, but they were a key factor in the Devils’ blown lead against the Jets.
Inconsistency Strikes Again
The Devils’ inconsistent play has become a defining issue of New Jersey’s season, and last night was no different. In the span of a few periods, the Devils went from stick-breaking frustration to jubilant celebration to stick-breaking frustration once again. The red-shirts clearly played their hearts out, but coach Ruff has to sort out their inconsistency problem.
Up Next
The Devils will face off against the Ottawa Senators at 7:00 PM ET on Monday at the Prudential Center.