The Devils allowed two power-play goals in a 2-0 loss but may have lost a lot more with an injury suffered by Jack Hughes. Let’s look at what happened in this game recap.
First Period
The first period was a tale of two halves. New Jersey benefitted from a few breaks and missed opportunities by their opponent in the first half of the period. On the first shift, Tomas Hertl caught a puck in front of the Devils’ net without a Devil in sight. Hertl had time to make a move on Jacob Markstrom but ultimately slid the puck wide. Raphael Lavoie had a backdoor tip attempt that careened just wide. With just over 12 minutes remaining in the period, Noah Hanifin flicked a wrist shot from the left point that Jack Eichel tipped in front of the net. Luckily, the puck clanged off the pipe.
From the halfway point on (except for the last minute and a half of play), the Devils responded and played a much more structured defensive game, with forwards providing better support. New Jersey had a string of four consecutive shots toward the end of the period, not including a few missed shot attempts. These were mainly isolated scoring chances as opposed to sustained offensive zone pressure. Tomas Tatar had a hard wrister from the slot. Luke Hughes made a beautiful pass to Ondrej Palat, and Palat fired way wide of the net. Paul Cotter recovered a loose puck in the lower left circle but shot that wide of the net.
The final two minutes of the period favored Vegas. With just under a minute and a half remaining, Hanifin passed to Pavel Dorofeyev for a wide-open point-blank shot that Markstrom may have gotten a piece of. The Devils outshot the Knights in the first frame eight to seven. The scoring chances were even, ten to ten, and the period ended 0-0.
Second Period
The play tightened up to start the second period. Both teams played safe, structured defense, leaving little open ice. Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer had a solid period. A good zone entry passing play resulted in a hard shot from Meier near the left circle. On the ensuing faceoff, a set play from the Devils allowed Meier to blast a one-timer on Adin Hill, who saved both shots. In one of the few highlights for the Devils, Stefan Noesen crushed Zach Whitecloud with a punishing hit along the boards in the neutral zone with just over 11 minutes remaining in the period.
With approximately nine minutes remaining in the frame, the play opened up for both teams, resulting in a flurry of offensive chances. In one such chance, Luke Hughes carried the puck down from the point, circling the net and snapping a shot from the opposite circle, which resulted in a loose puck that Hill covered. At the other end, Hischier blocked a shot on an odd-man rush at the end of his shift. Jack Hughes had a golden opportunity on a backhand with a wide-open net following a pass from Ondrej Palat. Unfortunately, Hughes couldn’t get enough wood on the puck to find the twine. Erik Haula and Paul Cotter had a two-on-one scoring chance about a minute later, but again, Hill was able to make the save on Cotter.
Vegas applied all the pressure from the two-and-a-half-minute mark. Markstrom made a sweeping glove save on a wired backhand shot from Brett Howden in the slot with just over two minutes remaining in the period. With about 15 seconds remaining in the period, Markstrom made a slick poke check save on Jack Eichel, who was driving to the net. Each team had eight shots in the second period. Natural Stat Trick gave the Knights the advantage in scoring chances in the period, from 11 to six. That statistic is misleading, as I thought the Devils played the Knights very evenly in the second. Neither team scored in the frame.
Third Period
The third period started with another solid shift from Nico Hischier’s line. Meier recorded another shot on net, which created a bouncing puck in the slot and a follow-up opportunity for Brett Pesce that Adin Hill saved. Special teams quickly turned the tide in Vegas’ favor, however. With just over one minute elapsed in the period, Jack Eichel ripped a shot off the post from the left faceoff dot, and Jack Hughes took a penalty, interfering with Tanner Pearson. Shortly into the penalty kill, Noah Hanifin fired a wrister from the point that was tipped past Jacob Markstrom by Mark Stone. 1-0 bad guys.
It was the response from New Jersey following the goal that I found most troubling. Instead of pushing back, New Jersey appeared to lose focus for the next few minutes, allowing Vegas to hem the Devils up in the defensive zone and string together a few scoring chances. With 16:01 remaining, Eichel passed to Pearson on a two-on-one, who ripped a shot off the post. Markstrom may have gotten a piece of the shot with the blocker, but the Devils played erratically for the next few minutes. When New Jersey finally recovered their composure, they received a Too Many Men on the Ice penalty. Despite winning two faceoffs, New Jersey couldn’t clear the puck from the defensive end. Eichel won the puck back on the third faceoff, and Hanifin blasted a slap shot past Markstrom. Initially, I thought Markstrom should have made the save. However, the replay showed multiple players moving through his line of sight, and the puck got tipped while traveling through the traffic. 2-0 bad guys.
The Devils didn’t lose focus following the Knights’ second goal, but they couldn’t score either. Jack Hughes’ line had a good shift with about eight minutes remaining in the period, including an opportunity for Jack to walk in point blank in front of Adin Hill…but no luck. With just over five minutes remaining in the period, Raphael Lavoie slashed Jack Hughes, and it appeared as though the Devils might have some life. It was not to be, however, because in the limited man-advantage time that New Jersey had, they could not muster anything, and to make matters worse, Ondrej Palat took a tripping penalty. Vegas killed the remainder of their penalty while waiting for the delayed penalty call on Palat, which was a soft call.
The Devils’ bad dream third period became an absolute nightmare with just under two minutes remaining in the game. New Jersey had a two-on-one odd-man rush with Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. Hischier eventually took the snapshot, but on the backcheck, Jack Eichel lifted Hughes’ stick and clipped Hughes’ skate with his own, sending Jack awkwardly into the boards below the goal line. Hughes lay motionless, sprawled on the ice for a couple of seconds. Eichel was never penalized for what appeared to be an obvious trip or interference. Hughes eventually coasted off the ice, cradling his right arm. He went straight down the tunnel to the locker room. Head coach Sheldon Keefe was livid on the bench, as he should be, and appeared to have some strong words for the officiating crew, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct and game misconduct penalties on the Devils. What a joke. It was not intentional on Jack Eichel’s part, but a penalty is a penalty. Vegas didn’t score on the ensuing man advantage, and time ran out.
The New Jersey Devils fell to the Las Vegas Golden Knights 2-0.
The Game Stats: NHL.com Recap, NHL.com Game Summary, NHL.com Event Summary, NHL.com Full Play-by-Play, NHL.com Shot Report, Natural Stat Trick Game Stats
Takeaways
Injury to Jack Hughes
The biggest news from this game is the injury to Jack Hughes. Hughes leads the team with 70 points, and if he is out for any significant amount of time, it will be a massive blow to the Devils’ offense. Following the game, Sheldon Keefe stated that the play on the ice did not look good and that Hughes will be evaluated. Watching the game live, Hughes lay still on the ice for several seconds before getting up and coasting to the bench while cradling his right arm. I will not speculate on the injury’s severity, but let’s hope for good news in the next couple of days.
Clear the Puck!
Following the Too Many Men on the Ice penalty in the third period, New Jersey won two consecutive faceoffs in their defensive end but could not clear the puck. That cannot happen. In a tightly contested, playoff-type game, their special teams beat ours. The Knights have 3rd best power play in the NHL, and that was the difference. You cannot give that power play more chances after WINNING faceoffs. Period.
No Rust for Markstrom
In his first game back, there may have been concerns that Jacob Markstrom would need some time to shake the rust off. That was not the case. Markstrom made crucial saves against Pavel Dorofeyev at the end of the first period, Brett Howden at the end of the second period, and Jack Eichel midway through the third period, to name a few. He was moving well and tracking the puck. The two pucks that got by Markstrom had been tipped with traffic in front. The Devils will need him to remain healthy and continue to play at a high level down the stretch.
Better Response, Less Panic
Following the first goal by the Knights, New Jersey seemed to lose focus and try haphazardly to generate any offense they could to even the game at the detriment of the defense. Instead of buckling down, the Devils gave up odd-man rushes and scoring chances like the two-on-one to Jack Eichel and Tanner Pearson, who luckily hit the post. Good teams are going to score goals. It happens, but I’d like a more self-confident response from the Devils. I thought New Jersey played Vegas evenly to this point and generated scoring chances of their own; they just hadn’t converted yet. I’d like to see the Devils take a breath and continue to play the way they had been, with the confidence that something would go in for them sooner or later.
Hischier’s Line
Following his goal against Utah, the hope was that Timo Meier’s stick would get hot. Meier did not score in this one, but I think that line played well. According to Natural Stat Trick, Hischier’s line tallied six scoring chances to lead the team in this game, which matches their performance.
Up Next
The schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Devils travel to Dallas to face the Stars at 8:00 PM ET on Tuesday, March 4th.
Your Thoughts
How did you think the Devils played tonight? What did you think of Markstrom’s game? Will Timo start scoring again? Provide your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you for reading, and GO DEVILS!!!