In their penultimate game before the 4 Nations Faceoff break, the New Jersey Devils (30-20-6, 3rd Metropolitan) fell to the Vegas Golden Knights (32-17-6, 2nd Pacific) 3-1 at the Prudential Center last night. It was a game Vegas, coming off a four-game losing streak, had to have, and it was a game the Devils will want to forget.
First Period
The Golden Knights got off to a hot start in the first period, piling on offensive pressure through the first five minutes of the period. That wasn’t surprising considering how desperately Vegas needed a win. Jake Allen held firm against a series of high-danger shots, including a couple of good looks from Jack Eichel and Mark Stone where he came aggressively out of his net.
The flash point of the period came when Jack Hughes took a double minor for high sticking, sending Vegas to a four-minute power play. Though the Devils’ defense looked soft to start the game, the penalty kill stymied the Knights’ attack, holding them to two shots in a dominant kill. That gave the Devils momentum to end the period with some strong play in the defensive zone and a great offensive zone shift.
Despite a strong end to the period, Vegas controlled the play in the first, with New Jersey notching a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 35 and an expected goal percentage (xG%) of 25.97 at five-on-five.
stuck with it,
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 7, 2025
scored,
cellied
pic.twitter.com/nJNW3mhYqS
Second Period
The second period wasn’t much better for the Devils. The team struggled defensively and in transition, giving up brutal unforced turnovers that led to offensive chances going the other way. Nicolas Roy got the Knights on the board early, tapping his own rebound off Hughes’ skate and in.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 7, 2025
Shea it's 2-0 (oh woah woah)
Vegas didn’t let up after that goal, buzzing dangerously in the Devils’ zone for shifts on end. Simon Nemec, who had a rough first game back in the NHL, took a holding call on one of these extended offensive zone shifts, though the Devils managed to kill it off. But New Jersey couldn’t hold Vegas off forever, and Shea Theodore got Vegas their second goal with a tipped shot past Jake Allen.
The Devils were thoroughly outplayed in the second period. They put up a paltry 38.71 CF% and a 35.33 xG% at five-on-five.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 7, 2025
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pic.twitter.com/GkFcEYBLF9
Third Period
Things didn’t get any easier for New Jersey in the third period. They didn’t get a slow start to start so much as they looked apathetic and out of answers to the Knights’ structure. Jack Eichel scored a net-front goal, giving Vegas a three-goal lead and putting the game all but out of reach. After the goal, the Devils found some rhythm, testing Adin Hill with shots from different areas of the ice but nothing went.
New Jersey finally got its first power play of the night when Shea Theodore took a tripping call. Though the game was gone, the Devils wouldn’t get shut out. Stefan Noesen played a behind-the-back feed from Jesper Bratt to Ondrej Palat, who buried it from in front of the net to put the Devils on the board.
With a little bit of life, the Devils faced another hurdle when Paul Cotter got called on a soft cross-check. Vegas didn’t do much of anything on the power play, and Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt even got a short-handed offensive chance but it allowed the Knights to melt valuable clock away. New Jersey pulled Allen after the power play ended, and Palat appeared to have gotten his second goal with a six-on-five advantage but it was called off for a high stick. That would be the death knell for the Devils.
Though the Devils finally scored, their play didn’t improve in the third period with a 38.46 CF% and a 20.54 xG% at five-on-five.
Game Notes
Injuries Play a Role
New Jersey felt the loss of three of their best players Thursday night. A team has to expect its depth and remaining stars to pick up the slack when the injury bug bites but when those injured players are as integral to the system as Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Jacob Markstrom, the rest of the lineup is bound to suffer.
The Devils are praying the 4 Nations break comes as soon as possible to get healthy.
Nemec Struggles
Simon Nemec had a terrible first game back in the NHL. Coming off an injury at the start of the season, Nemec was not his right self. He settled in when he was sent down to the AHL in October and was playing up to expectations. Thursday night, however, he made multiple defensive miscues, allowed a few misguided turnovers, and got benched in the second period. He finished with an 18.75 CF% and a 5.72 xG% in 12:31 of ice time.
Up Next
The Devils will travel to Montreal to face the Canadiens in their final game before the break on Saturday at 1:00 pm ET.