Match Overview
Through the first forty minutes of this game, you may have had the urge to turn off the TV. It really did look like it would be just another bad loss in a series of them recently for Jersey. The Devils, hungry for a win against the Capitals, proved us wrong in the third by tying the game and taking it to overtime. All this hope, however, died in an instant on Jakub Vrana’s game-winning goal. New Jersey came so close but fell 5-4.
First Period
Only one goal was scored in the first, but you could tell that something was going to happen. The Devils played with fire, taking two penalties in the period. They killed the first with a nice wall-battle, but got burned on the second with a T.J. Oshie goal. They went into the locker-room down 1-0, still in range but not a good omen.
Second Period
The second period was all sloppiness for Jersey. They gave up three goals and only scored one to keep pace. One issue the Devils encountered was a lack of good clears from their own zone. If and when they happened, they were too soft and taken back by Washington. This resulted in an overabundance of pressure from the Capitals, who, as mentioned, converted three times.
In any ordinary Devils game, the team would’ve let the game go and Gusev would have scored in garbage-time, but this was no ordinary game…
Third Period
Something Lindy Ruff said must have resonated with the young Devils because they fired on all cylinders in period three. They looked dangerous all period and scored three unanswered goals. As Ken Danyeko pointed out a number of times, New Jersey could have easily scored more and won the game. A few shots took unusual bounces and Vitek Vanecek looked vulnerable. Nonetheless, the Devils would settle for a sudden-death overtime period.
Overtime
Early on in OT, Jersey had most of the possession-time and pressure. This didn’t result in any shots, however, as they continually drop-passed and looked for the perfect opportunity. Not satisfied with any of the chances they got, New Jersey eventually ceded the puck to the Caps, who had some weak pressure. That was until a neutral-zone turnover by the Devils, resulting in a Jakub Vrana breakaway and goal.
Results
All in all, New Jersey showed perseverance after going in a tailspin and fought its way to overtime. The long-dormant offense showed promise against a weak-ish goalie in Vitek Vanecek, scoring four goals. That being said, the Caps were too much for the team and the Devils lost 5-4. The Devils are now 8-11-3 and seventh in the East Division. The Capitals are 14-6-4, good for second place.
Keys to the Game
Jakub Vrana
The man who put a dagger in the Devils’ heart deserves a shoutout. He scored two goals in this game, one of them the overtime-winner, both on beautiful chances. His first goal came late in the second as he executed a nice snap-shot past Scott Wedgewood. Vrana burned Ty Smith on a breakaway in sudden death and roofed a top-shelf goal to send everyone home. It was an excellent game for the forward in what has been a strong season thus far.
Scott Wedgewood Played
Now I don’t want to get into how Wedgewood actually played, but rather the fact that he played at all. Needless to say, his 40-save shutout over Boston was impressive, but one would have expected MacKenzie Blackwood to start last night’s game. That being said, he has been terrible as of late, He’s amassed a horrendous .818 SV% over his last four outings.
Wedgewood’s start can be interpreted in a couple of different ways: one, Lindy Ruff is sending a warning to Blackwood to pick it up because his job isn’t safe, or two, Blackwood has an injury we don’t necessarily know about. I really hope it’s the former because Blackwood has had enough injury troubles already. For this Devils team to have any success, MacKenzie Blackwood needs to come back strong.
Everyone got in on the Action
This is a promising sign for an offense that has fallen flat recently. All four of the Devils’ goals came from different players. One came from Kuokkanen, the next from Wood, another from Sharangovich, and the final one from Severson. The one standout player scoring-wise was Travis Zajac, who notched three helpers in the loss. This is the kind of game the Devils can accomplish when their young talent is on point.
Up Next
The Devils take on the Islanders on Thursday at 7:00 pm.