The New Jersey Devils inability to capitalize on some early chances loomed large and ultimately things just got out of hand as the game progressed. The Anaheim Ducks kept applying pressure, and once again poor special teams hurt any chance New Jersey had in this one.
Game Summary
The first period yielded opportunities to each team, starting with Devils Center Dawson Mercer whiffing on a potential open netter just one minute in. Mercer again would have a golden opportunity alone in front following a turnover created by linemate Andreas Johnsson, but Ducks goaltender John Gibson was in position for the save like he was all night. Just one minute later, Nico Hischier was in alone on a breakaway but was unable to lift the puck over the right pad of Gibson, squandering another solid scoring opportunity. Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf would get Anaheim on the board with a slap shot on the powerplay shortly thereafter. Later on, Bernier wasn’t able to fight through a screen by Milano and the puck slid by him blocker side, adding another goal against to the penalty kill unit.
The second period scoring once again came courtesy of an Anaheim powerplay goal. While already shorthanded, Hischier took a sloppy tripping penalty to put the Ducks on the 5 on 3 powerplay. After blocking a shot, Ryan Graves was clearly in some discomfort and was unable to cover a wide open Troy Terry who buried the one time shot and extended his point streak to nine games.
Terry would strike again four minutes into the third period. Getzlaf would hit Terry with a breakout pass to spring a two on one rush. With defenseman Ty Smith covering the passing lane, Terry ripped the shortside wrister off the post and by Bernier, making it 3-0. The Devils would come close to getting one on the powerplay with thirteen minutes remaining, but a loose puck and potential empty netter would be cleared from the crease at the last second, denying the Devils the goal. Back on the powerplay less than a minute later, things wouldn’t go as well for the Devils. New Jersey was unable to exit their own zone, turning the puck over to Derek Grant. Grant would feed Lundestrom in the slot, who managed to stick handle through Nico and slide a backhanded shot along the ice inside the post and by Bernier for the 4-0 lead. New Jersey would still create a couple more strong scoring opportunities, but the story of the night remained the same and the Devils couldn’t beat Gibson and go down in a shutout.
Game Notes
- Special teams remain a major issue for New Jersey to start the season. The Devils were 0 for 5 on powerplay attempts including a shorthanded goal against, and were 5 for 7 on the kill. The Devils 13% powerplay has them sitting 27th, and the poor 71.9% penalty kill has them in 27th as well. Coming off of a season where they were 28th on the powerplay and 31st on the penalty kill, this is just more of the same old story for the Devils.
- Dougie Hamilton ended up leaving the game after the first period with what is being described as a “lower body injury”. After the game coach Ruff stated there was currently no update on his status, and with the difficulty of gaining any type of injury information from teams in the NHL this will just be something to monitor for updates daily.
The Devils will have a couple of days to sit on this loss before squaring off with the Kings on Friday night. That game will also be available through ESPN+ and Hulu streaming services.