The New Jersey Devils (41-16-6) returned home from their successful road trip. Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs spoiled Timo Meier’s home-debut in a comeback 4-3 victory.
It was a back-and-forth affair and Toronto got back into the win column. A tough loss for the Devils as the schedule becomes a grind down the stretch. Especially since they blew a very late third period lead.
Game Summary
First Period
Despite this period being scoreless, the Devils dominated this period. New Jersey would outshoot Toronto 15-5. In addition, the Devils would fire eight shots from the high—danger area. They dominated possession finishing with a 70.97 Corsi-for percentage (CF%). New Jersey could not solve Ilya Samsonov as he finished with 1.53 goals saved above expected in the period.
Second Period
Unlike the first period, the second featured tons of actions. Both teams would find the back of the net as well. Toronto kickstarted the party early. Skating into the zone with top speed, the Devils got caught puck-watching. William Nylander would slide a pass to a wide-open Calle Jarnkrok for the tap-in goal.
As good as Samsonov has been, the Devils would finally solve him. A Jesper Boqvist shot created a rebound and Erik Haula pounced on the loose puck. The horn would sound and the team’s would head to the third period tied. New Jersey would also carry a double minor power play in to the third.
Third Period
Both teams traded goals early. While short-handed, Mitch Marner would score a beautiful goal on a breakaway. The Devils would respond and on the power play. After taking a pass from the slot, Ondrej Palat got his own rebound and fired the puck past Samsonov. Next, Palat created another goal as he fired a shot towards net then Erik Haula tipped the puck past Samsonov.
Just under five minutes to go, Toronto would answer. After David Kampf got sprung up the middle, he would slide a pass over to Michael Bunting for the tying goal. Toronto would cap off this wild third period with the game-winner. Sitting right in the slot and on the power play, Auston Matthews ripped a shot past Vanecek for the goal. Horn sounded and the Devils suffered a tough defeat.
Wrap Up
The Devils suffered a brutal 4-3 loss. The third line stole the show in the game. Erik Haula (two goals, one assist), and Ondrej Palat (one goal, two assists), and Jesper Boqvist (two assists) all had multi-point games.
Game Notes
- Vitek Vanecek wasn’t the main reason for the loss, but some of the blame can be put on his shoulders. He allowed four goals for the second straight game and finished with -1.29 goals saved above expected. An alarming trend has continued over the last five games.
- The third line continues to be a force for the Devils. They totaled two goals at five-on-five, and had four scoring chances to zero from Toronto when on the ice.
- Ilya Samsonov was brilliant from start to finish. He finished with a .909 save percentage, and a 1.4 goals saved above expected. The Devils had trouble early on, but despite allowing three goals he was still good for the team.
What’s Next?
The New Jersey Devils hit the road to take on the Washington Capitals Thursday night.