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Match Summary
What does one have to do to get a win right now? With their 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the New Jersey Devils have reached the dubious mark of a ten-game winless streak. It’s not like the Devils didn’t play well, they were solid throughout the night, they just, yet again, choked. Though New Jersey is used to losing, this one was especially painful, more on that later.
First Period
Like I mentioned previously, the Devils did a lot of things right, and it started in the first period. Michael McLeod opened the scoring with a practice-style goal, a bang-bang three-on-one one-timer. It is worth noting that this was the first time the Devils had had a lead since April 8th, an embarrassing statistic. Later, Sean Couturier re-directed a point shot past Mackenzie Blackwood while play-by-play announcer Steve Cangialosi was praising the young netminder (I blame Cangy!). The Devils and Flyers went into the locker room tied at one.
Second Period
Only one goal was scored in the second, and it was a beautiful play by Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian. It actually really characterized the spirit of this young team. With the puck, Bastian had a couple of Flyers chasing him and he was running out of space. Nevertheless, he persisted and squeaked out a pass from the ground that found Miles Wood, who shot it past a bewildered Brian Elliot. The Flyers couldn’t answer back, and the Devils led at the intermission.
Third Period
Things started out well in the third but very quickly deteriorated. New Jersey extended their lead with a high hockey-IQ play from Jesper Bratt, who declined to throw the puck on net in order to fake two Philly defensemen and sail it to Pavel Zacha.
Sadly, with under two minutes to play, things got real bad real quick. With Philly’s net empty, James Van-Riemsdyk floated the puck through two Jersey defensemen to the open stick of Claude Giroux, who cut the lead in half. Just over 20 seconds later, Giroux found the puck and scored once again to send the game into overtime.
This collapse characterizes the Devils’ horrendous six-on-five play this season, possibly a symptom of a young team.
Overtime/Shootout
It was pretty much what you’d expect out of the Devils’ post-regulation play. In overtime, they got on the power play, and wait for it, absolutely blew it. New Jersey’s powerplay has been infuriating to watch all season, and this one took the cake.
It was a wild shootout, to say the least: the Devils actually scored (twice!)! The Devils’ goals came from Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Bratt. Unfortunately, the Flyers exploited Blackwood’s five-hole multiple times and put a dagger into the team’s hopes.
Results
It was painful to watch at the end, but overall, the Devils played a solid game. Their defensive play was tight and their offense was decent. Sadly, they were just on the wrong end of the score. The hapless Devils own a record of 14-27-7 and are in seventh place in the East Division. The Flyers are 22-19-7 and sit in a disappointing sixth place.
Keys to the Game
Play Smart AND Hard
(Statistics via Natural Stat Trick)
I’m sure everyone has heard the expression “play smart, not hard.” Well the Devils did both last night. What am I talking about? The two goals by Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha I dissected above. There, I mentioned Nathan Bastian’s persistence and Jesper Bratt’s hockey IQ. These things bode well for a young team’s future, and I’m very happy to see it.
If they make more plays like this in the last few games to come, the Devils may just finally win a game before season’s end. I say this because the Devils have gotten a ton of chances, but rarely finish them off. New Jersey has a 51.92 Corsi-for % (CF%) and a 51.27 expected goals-for % (xGF%), each in the better half of the league. However, they don’t make smart plays, they throw the puck on net and hope for the best.
MacKenzie Blackwood
The young Blackwood had a night to be proud of yesterday, stopping 33 shots on 36 attempts. This season has been rough for Blackwood to say the least. Hindered by COVID and a series of injuries, the Canadian has been inconsistent, accruing just above a .900 save percentage. He obviously has the talent to be a superstar, he’s just been extremely unlucky. Games like these are important for a young goalkeeper’s morale, especially for ones who have been struggling.
Up Next
The Devils and Flyers will have a rematch on Tuesday at 7:00 pm.