Tuesday night, the New Jersey Devils once again lost in Winnipeg for the sixth time in their last seven trips. The team lost 6-3 falling to 7-6-1 on the season.
Recap
Period One
The Devils and Jets came out playing a very even first period. John Marino couldn’t bury a great chance and Cole Perfetti was robbed by Akira Schmid on a great pad save. The Jets had a slight shot advantage, but overall the two teams’ chance distribution was fairly distributed. The goaltenders stood strong however so the game stood 0-0.
Period Two
The second period started with a strong surge by the Jets that led to a goal by Kyle Connor. Shortly after, the Jets would go on the power play and get a friendly bounce leading to a goal from Perfetti. Just a minute later, the Devils would strike back on a power play of their own. Timo Meier scored his third in his last three games to make it a 2-1 game. Again, just 90 seconds afterwards ,John Marino scored his first of the season to tie the game.
The Devils surged for multiple goals again, but once again, the lead wouldn’t stand. After poor defensive coverage from Dougie Hamilton, Nikolaj Ehlers would bury a puck in a wide-open net to put the Jets back in front. The period would end with the Jets having a 3-2 lead.
Period Three
The Devils would put the pressure on to start period number three, getting a multitude of chances on the Jets that were all stuffed out by Connor Hellebuyck. About halfway through the Jets would get a power play and score again. Kyle Connor buried his second of the game to put the Jets back up by a pair. Just a few minutes later an awful play on the puck by Bahl led to a great chance that snuck through Schmid. 5-2 Jets.
The Devils would get back within two with a Dawson Mercer power-play goal, but that would be all. The Jets would score with the net empty and ice the game. The Devils fell 6-3.
Game Notes
Something’s Got To Give
When a team scores three times in a game you would expect that team would win at least half the time. The Devils are 0-5-1 when they score less than four goals, including 0-3-1 when scoring three goals. Goaltending needs to be better, period.
Hughes Back?
Before departing on this two-game road trip Lindy Ruff told the media that Jack Hughes could meet the team in Pittsburgh. Yesterday, NHL reporter Emily Kaplan tweeted that Hughes could return tomorrow night, but aims to be back against the Rangers on Saturday.
What’s Next
The Devils are back in action Thursday against the Penguins. Puck drop from Pittsburgh is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.