The New Jersey Devils lost 5-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night in Raleigh, splitting the season series between the two. The Devils did not have their best but were in the game until a wild third period that featured five total goals, some heavy hits, and questionable calls. The Devils fell to 24-12-3 with the loss but still sit atop the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes improved to 22-13-1 with the win.
Game Recap
Period One
The first half of the period was evenly played, and each team had a few good opportunities. With roughly ten minutes left in the frame, the shots were seven apiece.
Carolina had too many men on the ice late in the period, but it went uncalled.
The Devils were tagged with a tripping penalty with 2:09 left in the frame but got some big saves by Jake Allen to successfully kill it off to end the period.
New Jersey was outshot 16-10 in a scoreless first.
Period Two
The Devils opened the scoring first with a beautiful unassisted goal on a breakaway at 2:56 by Paul Cotter. It was Cotter’s first goal since November 12th.
Luke Hughes was tripped down, leading to a partial breakaway for the Hurricanes. The Devils were then called for hooking.
Brett Pesce was caught up high with a puck during the kill and had to leave the ice for some repairs.
The Devils had a few excellent chances while shorthanded, but nobody could find the loose puck to bury it behind Dustin Tokarski. New Jersey killed the rest of the penalty.
Pesce returned to the game after just a few minutes.
The Devils got their first power play in two games against Carolina after Eric Robinson caught Curtis Lazar with an illegal check to the head. New Jersey could not convert with the man-advantage.
The Devils went right back to the power play after Jonas Siegenthaler was interfered with. The Devils had better chances than on their first power play but also surrendered a few dangerous shots that Allen saved.
After a long shift for the Devils’ skaters, Carolina got on the board with a late goal by Dmitry Orlov at 19:30. Sean Walker and Seth Jarvis had the assists.
Period Three
The Devils regained their lead just 1:05 into the period, thanks to a strong net drive by Jesper Bratt, which created a rebound for Ondrej Palat’s eighth goal of the season. Dougie Hamilton added a secondary assist.
The Devils surrendered the tying goal just seconds later, with a shot by Sebastian Aho that snuck through Allen, who had been stellar in net previously. Jack Roslovic had the only assist.
Timo Meier hit Martin Necas with a crunching open-ice hit that caused an injury stoppage. Due to the apparent injury, the officials reviewed the hit and assessed Meier a five-minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct, to the bafflement of Sheldon Keefe behind the Devils’ bench. Necas didn’t miss a shift.
The teams skated with four aside for two minutes before the Devils had to kill a three-minute power play for Carolina. Bratt was caught with a high stick that went uncalled.
The Hurricanes converted on the man advantage at 10:43, with a goal by Jackson Blake. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Brent Burns had the assists.
Carolina extended its lead at 12:06 after Jarvis made a nice move to get the puck around Luke Hughes to feed Roslovic for his 15th goal of the season. Walker added a secondary assist.
Things got nasty as the Devils were upset with officiating while trying to claw back into the game. Erik Haula and Orlov were called for matching roughing minors after Haula laid a huge hit and Orlov retaliated.
The Devils pulled Allen with more than three minutes left, and Carolina hit the empty net to ice the game.
The Devils were outshot 42-23 in a frustrating loss.
Takeaways
Off Night
The Devils did not have their A-game in Carolina despite having a lead early in the third period. Particularly in the defensive zone, New Jersey had trouble clearing pucks and winning battles along the boards to relieve pressure. There were a few occasions where self-inflicted mistakes allowed the Hurricanes far too much time to cycle and fire away at Allen. Additionally, passing wasn’t crisp, and mishandled pucks set Carolina up with odd-man rushes and easy zone entries.
There were some positive takeaways for New Jersey regarding physicality and sticking up for each other, but as far as the rest of their game, it was simply an off-night for the team. The Devils will have to try again to earn that rare four-game win streak that has eluded them for more than a full season.
Keefe’s Postgame Comments
From his place behind the bench, Sheldon Keefe was visibly unhappy with the officiating crew during the third period. He called the officials over and had a few animated conversations regarding the Meier penalty, subsequent ejection, and the coincidental minors assessed to Haula and Orlov. He elaborated on his frustrations after the game.
“They review it because of the guy laying on the ice after the fact, and the guy laying on the ice plays three and a half minutes of the five-minute major,” Keefe said about Necas and the Meier hit. “That’s a tough one. A tough message for the players that if you take a big hit, laying down on the ice has its benefits.”
Necas, who was helped off the ice, was back on the bench before play resumed and didn’t miss a shift.
He also discussed the later altercation when Orlov went after Haula after he was sent to the bench.
“For that one to be two minutes each and not us be on the power play after an official escorts their player off the ice, that’s a tough one,” he stated.
Of course, a different call doesn’t guarantee a victory for New Jersey, but it is hard to understate the challenges caused by undue penalties. Not only did the Devils have to kill an elongated power play in the third, but they also lost one of their top six forwards as they tried to mount a comeback. “Tough” is an appropriate description of the sequence of events.
Up Next
The road trip continues for the Devils as they look to get back in the win column on New Year’s Eve against the Anaheim Ducks.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the two teams. New Jersey won 6-2 on October 27th.
The Ducks sit seventh in the Pacific Division, with a 13-17-4 record and 30 points. They are 3-6-1 in their past ten contests. Anaheim takes on the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, December 29th, before facing the Devils.
Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. EST on MSGSN and Victory+.
Headed Into The New Year – Inside The Rink
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.