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Game Summary 

After being unable to capitalize on a solid first twenty minutes, the New Jersey Devils were defeated 5-2 following a flurry of second period goals from the Winnipeg Jets. Kyle Connor got the scoring started for Winnipeg in what seemed like a never-ending barrage of goals. Brian Gibbons was able to quickly tie the game after a video review overturned a shot originally thought to have gone off the crossbar and out, but found the back of the net. However, it would not last long. Patrick Laine would score just over a minute later for the first of four unanswered goals to give the Jets a 5-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Despite the lopsided score, the Devils were able to generate a good amount of shots and scoring chances. They out-chanced Winnipeg 20-17 at five-on-five for the game and for the second straight game, were able to outshoot their opponent in all situations. Connor Hellebuyck played a big role in making sure the Devils didn’t capitalize on the shots and chances they generated. He was real sharp in net, stopping 34/36 shots he faced as he continued his phenomenal start to the season and raised his save percentage above .930 for the year.

Game Notes

• It was a rough night for most of the Devils, but the trio of Hall/Hischier/Palmieri had themselves a very solid performance. They were on the ice for twelve scoring chances as opposed to three against and out-attempted Winnipeg 20-9 when they were on the ice. Hischier also led the team with seven shots on goal, while Taylor Hall had five and Palmieri had three, respectively. They didn’t have anything to show for it last night, but if they keep putting their opponents on their heels, they’ll be rewarded for their play sooner rather than later.

• This may come as a shock to most people, but Ben Lovejoy had another productive outing and has done so the last couple of games playing with Will Butcher. The two out-attempted Winnipeg 15-8 when on the ice, granted they’re not getting the toughest minutes. That being said, they’ve played well with the minutes they’ve been given. Butcher tallied two more points, including his first career NHL goal, while Lovejoy has filled in nicely for an injured Mirco Mueller. If they can keep up their strong play in a third pair role, it’ll help give the Devils some much needed defensive depth going forward.

• It was another rough night for Adam Henrique. He was -6 in shot attempt differential and was held without a point once again. He has one point in his last nine games and hasn’t scored a goal since October 27th against the Ottawa Senators. After last night’s game, he has just a 43.3% Corsi For on the season and has had a tough time scoring at five-on-five with just three points in nineteen games. The Devils have much better forward depth than they had in previous seasons, so they’ve been able to get by without a productive Henrique so far, but they will need him to contribute at a much better clip as the season moves along.

• Just when you think Brian Gibbons can’t keep on scoring, he just keeps on finding the back of the net. He tallied his team leading ninth goal of the season last night. He’s currently shooting 34.6% and was a 10% career shooter coming into this season, so eventually the goals won’t be as frequent. Needless to say, he’s been a really nice story to the Devils’ strong start this season. He’s come up with some big goals and has been a valuable asset on the team’s penalty kill through the start of the season. I don’t think that’s something a lot of people, including myself, could’ve envisioned when the season began.