The New Jersey Devils lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers, ending a forgettable six-game road trip for New Jersey. While the Devils had flashes of strong play, they were incredibly sloppy and made self-inflicted mistakes in the form of giveaways that ultimately cost them an additional point in the standings. With the overtime loss, the Devils have a 25-15-4 record and a 1-4 record in overtime. With the win, the Rangers improved to 19-20-2.
Game Recap
Period One
It was an even start to the game, with each side getting a few shots on the netminders. Luke Hughes appeared to have scored, but the puck rang off the crossbar and out upon review.
Timo Meier was caught with a high stick near the halfway point of the frame, but the Devils couldn’t cash in on the power play.
The Devils went right back to the power play after the Rangers were called for too many men on the ice. New Jersey had some good chances, including a hit post by Meier, but the power play was killed.
Kurtis MacDermid was tagged for an interference call, and the Rangers cashed in at 12:05 with a shot from Adam Fox that snapped Johnathan Kovacevic’s stick and redirected past Jacob Markstrom. Vincent Trocheck had the only assist.
The Devils outshot New York 11-8 in the period.
Period Two
The Devils were on the front foot early and cashed in with a goal from Jack Hughes, who redirected a shot by Brett Pesce at 4:03. Ondrej Palat added a secondary assist.
New Jersey kept the pressure on and grabbed the lead at 8:28 with a shot from Jesper Bratt that beat Igor Shesterkin clean up-high. Jack Hughes added an assist for his second point of the night, and Dougie Hamilton got a secondary assist for facilitating the play with a big open-ice hit to gain possession.
Meier was high-sticked for the second time in the game, sending the Devils to the power play, but they couldn’t extend the lead.
New Jersey took a late slashing penalty that landed Nico Hischier in the box, and the Rangers converted for their second power-play goal of the game. A loose rebound bounced to Artemi Panarin, who beat Markstrom at 17:13. Mika Zibanejad and Fox had the assists.
The Devils answered with a strong shift to close out the period but went to the intermission tied at two apiece.
New Jersey was outshot 9-5 in the frame.
Period Three
The Devils came out strong, with over a minute of O-zone possession time, but they couldn’t get the puck through to Shesterkin.
The Rangers answered with a good shift, but the Devils stuck to their defensive structure and kept the game tied.
As has been the trend in the past few games, the Devils played a bit loose, giving the Rangers too much zone time and forcing Markstrom to bail them out a few times.
The Devils took another penalty with just under 10 minutes left in the game but generated three fantastic opportunities while shorthanded and eventually drew a penalty in their favor.
Neither team converted during the four-on-four, and the Devils couldn’t cash in on their abbreviated power play.
Regulation time expired as the Devils secured at least a point from the contest.
Overtime
The Devils were sloppy in overtime, with some early turnovers costing them valuable possession time while three on three. Markstrom came up huge, stopping a few breakaways to keep his team in the game.
Eventually, the turnovers bit the Devils, and the Rangers scored on a two-on-one break to grab the extra point. Sam Carrick scored his third of the season with an assist from Reilly Smith.
New Jersey was outshot 32-23 in the game.
Takeaways
Turnovers
The Devils beat themselves with far too many self-inflicted mistakes. Turnovers were a huge problem for the Devils, who, as a team, gave the puck away a whopping 25 times. For context, New Jersey had 25 total giveaways in their previous three games combined. Even against weaker opponents, winning a game is nearly impossible if the puck is given away that often.
Jack Hughes, in particular, had an up-and-down game. On the one hand, he contributed to both of New Jersey’s tallies and scored his 10th career goal against Shesterkin, the most by any player. On the other hand, he led the team with seven turnovers, including one that led to the overtime goal for New York.
Overtime Troubles
Overtime has been a struggle for Jack Hughes and the whole Devils team this season. What was such a strength in previous seasons fell way off, as the Devils have just one overtime victory in five attempts this season.
The duo of Jack Hughes and Hamilton, paired with either Bratt or Hischier, was dominant in previous years for New Jersey. In fact, the only overtime victory this season came against the Islanders, with a Bratt – J. Hughes – Hamilton connection. Of course, three or four players can’t play the entirety of overtime, but perhaps revisiting a line combination that has worked well in the past could help spark the Devils in their next overtime appearance.
Road Trip Woes
The Devils wrapped up their season-long six-game road trip with a 1-4-1 record, collecting just three of 12 available points. More frustrating for New Jersey is giving up points to three teams that are out of the playoff picture: the Ducks, Sharks, and Rangers. A return to the Prudential Center could not have come at a better time for the Devils, who have won their past five home games.
New Jersey has a tougher stretch of games ahead, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs in their next three contests. Nonetheless, the Devils must get back to playing the way they were before the holiday break and make up some of the ground they lost during the recent skid.
While the Devils still sit second in the Metro, the Capitals have stretched out a four-point lead in the division, and the Hurricanes have pulled within two points of New Jersey. Both teams have games in hand on the Devils, meaning they can’t let this slump linger much longer.
Up Next
The Devils return to the Rock on Saturday night, and after two weeks away, they look to get back in the win column against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning sit third in the Atlantic Division with a 22-15-2 record. They are 5-5-0 in their past ten contests.
This is the third and final meeting of the season between the Devils and Lightning. New Jersey has not fared well in the series, losing 8-5 on October 22 and 4-0 on November 16.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST on MSGSN and FDSNSUN.
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