The New Jersey Devils lost 4-3 on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars. Without Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, who was injured in the first period, the Devils mounted an inspired late-game comeback only to fall short in the dying seconds after a controversial icing call. With the loss, the Devils dropped their second consecutive game, falling to 33-24-6. With the win, the Stars improved to 40-19-2.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils started strong, with an extended o-zone shift that put two shots on Casey DeSmith.
However, Wyatt Johnston picked off a pass and scored on a breakaway just 1:39 into the game on Dallas’ first shot. The goal was unassisted.
Simon Nemec took an errant stick from his teammate up high near his eye, and immediately went to the bench for attention, but was able to return later in the period.
The Devils were very sloppy with the puck and forced pass attempts gave Dallas too many easy looks.
New Jersey answered with a strong shift near the halfway point of the frame, but Dawson Mercer was robbed of a goal by a sprawling DeSmith.
Both teams clogged the neutral zone in the dying minutes of the period and the Devils went to the intermission down one.
Dallas outshot New Jersey 10-9 in the period.
Period Two
Dougie Hamilton was not on the bench to begin the middle frame. He fell awkwardly after a collision near the end of the first and limped down the tunnel.
The Devils took a high-sticking penalty and generated a great shorthanded two-on-one opportunity but couldn’t cash in after DeSmith made a sliding save.
New Jersey successfully killed the rest of the penalty.
The Stars got a two-on-one opportunity of their own and converted with Ilya Lyubushkin’s first goal in nearly two seasons, at 6:30. Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz had the assists.
The Devils got a power play and quickly scored at 7:09, with a goal from Timo Meier. Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes collected the assists.
Brenden Dillon immediately took an ill-timed penalty, but the team killed it. Dillon got a breakaway opportunity as he stepped out of the box, but DeSmith made the save.
Luke Hughes had a strong net drive that created some opportunities in front, but nobody could find the tying goal.
Johnathan Kovacevic backhanded the puck out of play, sending New Jersey to the penalty kill with just over a minute left in the period.
The Devils took another penalty with 25 seconds left in the frame, and Dallas scored with the two-man advantage. Hintz cashed in from the net front at 19:46 with assists from Johnston and Thomas Harley.
The Devils had 1:35 left to kill going into the intermission.
The Devils outshot the Stars 9-7 in the period.
Period Three
New Jersey killed the rest of the penalty to begin the frame.
The Devils had a few good looks, including another two-on-one break, but as has been the story, they didn’t cash in.
New Jersey took another penalty at the halfway mark of the period and killed it off. They got a two-on-one break out of the box and yet again, could not finish the chance.
The Devils got a power play and off a deflection by Hischier, pulled within one goal at 12:18. Luke Hughes and Jesper Bratt had the assists.
New Jersey cashed in again minutes later during a delayed penalty, with Brett Pesce’s second goal of the season to tie the game at three apiece. Meier and Bratt had the assists.
The Devils dominated play as time was winding down but were called for a highly questionable icing call that gave Dallas a face-off inside the New Jersey zone. Kovacevic never gained the red line, but Harley also had plenty of time to try and make a play on the slow-moving puck. Sheldon Keefe voiced his displeasure from the bench to no avail.
With just five seconds left, the Stars scored off the face-off to avoid overtime. Harley got the goal with assists from Robertson and Hintz.
Keefe had another long conversation with the officials, but nothing could be done at that point.
The Devils outshot the Stars 10-4 in the third period and 28-21 in the game.
Takeaways
Finding the Finish
Ultimately, the Devils needed to find a way to get points, and they didn’t get it done. Nonetheless, they showed that, even without Jack Hughes and Hamilton, they can still play with the top teams in the league.
In the third period, the Devils completely took over the game. They had a 10-4 shot advantage and killed Dallas’ power play without trouble. They also crushed the Stars in the hits department, laying 37 hits in the game compared to Dallas’ 12.
The Devils have one glaring issue: a lack of finishing. They create plenty of chances and control play for extended periods, yet they can’t get the puck into the opponent’s net. They exploited the Stars’ defense, generating numerous odd-man rushes, but it doesn’t matter if there’s nothing to show for it.
What Now?
This performance makes the trade deadline objective crystal clear for General Manager Tom Fitzgerald. The team needs finishers. If the Devils could’ve converted on any of their grade-A opportunities earlier in the contest, it would’ve made the call to end the game meaningless.
With Jonas Siegenthaler out, Jack Hughes set to miss time and Hamilton potentially out with an undisclosed injury, the Devils will have some LTIR space to work with, and they should use it to better the roster now.
The team has a stellar goaltending tandem and a strong defense that shouldn’t be wasted. Adding a few pieces to bolster the offense might be all it takes to get the Devils back on the right track. With a top-six addition, players can be shuffled down to create a more balanced roster.
Fitzgerald should also look to add at least one bottom-six guy. The Devils’ depth lines have been silent offensively, and that can’t continue if they want to stay in a playoff position.
It doesn’t have to be pretty, but anything can happen in the playoffs. The Devils just need to get there.
Up Next
The Devils head home to take on the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night at The Rock.
This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
Winnipeg sits atop the league with a 42-16-4 record. They are 7-2-1 in their last ten contests. The Devils will catch the Jets in the second half of a back-to-back after they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST on MSGSN.
Deadline Week – Inside The Rink
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
