NHL Game Recap: New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning | 01/27/2024

Vitek Vanecek in net
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The New Jersey Devils fell 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their final game before the all-star break. They mounted a strong performance in the first and third periods, but a poor showing in the middle frame cost them an important two points in the standings. With the loss, the Devils dropped to 24-20-3, while Tampa Bay improved to 27-18-5.

Game Recap

Period One

The Devils had a responsible effort in the first. Despite being outshot 9-6, they generated high-danger chances and held pressure from the Lightning to the outside. They also put together a masterful penalty kill in the final minutes of play against the league’s best power-play unit. It was a scoreless opening period.

Period Two

Tampa Bay opened the scoring early in the second frame. At 1:09, Nicholas Paul redirected a point shot from Victor Hedman to put the Lightning up by one. Darren Raddysh also recorded an assist.

At 10:40, Brandon Hagel doubled the lead for Tampa Bay when he found his own rebound and snuck it past Vitek Vanecek. Hedman and Paul added assists. The Devils couldn’t gain any sustained pressure and were outshot 19-4 in the period.

Period Three

The Devils responded with a few strong shifts to begin the third. At 2:49, Ondrej Palat scored against his former team to pull the Devils within one. Nico Hischier and Santeri Hatakka collected the assists. That was Hatakka’s first point as a Devil.

However, exactly a minute later, the Devils surrendered a goal to Steven Stamkos. Nick Perbix and Nikita Kucherov tallied assists. After killing a third penalty, the Devils rallied again when Jesper Bratt scored off a rush chance. The goal was unassisted.

At 13:52, the Lightning regained a two-goal lead off a Devils turnover. Vanecek came out of the net to play the puck to Kevin Bahl, who couldn’t connect a pass through the middle. It was intercepted by Brayden Point, who scored before Vanecek could reset. The goal was unassisted.

The Devils rebounded at 17:22 when Tyler Toffoli continued his hot streak with his 21st goal of the season and 500th career point. Palat and Simon Nemec collected the assists.

With the goaltender pulled, Hagel scored his second of the night to ice the game. Anthony Cirelli and Kucherov had the assists. The Devils pulled Vanecek a second time, and Point capitalized with his 25th goal of the season, assisted by Hedman and Stamkos.

The Devils were outshot 42-24 in the contest.

Takeaways

The Devils played smart hockey in the first period. They were committed to the forecheck and held opposing chances to the outside. However, the second period continued to be a struggle for New Jersey. Weak play in front of their own net cost them against Tampa Bay. They failed to clear rebounds and allowed Lighting players far too much time and space in their zone. They also couldn’t generate any offensive chances, with only four total shots in the period. They fell behind by two goals in the second and were never able to draw even.

On the bright side for the Devils, Vanecek had one of his strongest performances of the season in net. In the second period alone, he was faced with 19 shots and extended zone time for the Lightning. He only posted a .900 SV% but came up with numerous saves on high-danger chances to give the Devils every opportunity to get themselves back in the game.

Up Next

With the All-Star Game approaching, the Devils get a much-needed ten-day break to reset and hopefully get healthier.

They return to play on February 6th at home against the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche sit atop the Central Division with a 32-14-3 record.

This is the second meeting of the year between the Devils and Avalanche. New Jersey dropped the first contest 6-3 on November 7th.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and Hulu.

ITR 46: Offseason Chaos Inside The Rink

Join Chris & Conrad as they get you up-to-date on NHL Free Agency and the trade bonanza!
  1. ITR 46: Offseason Chaos
  2. ITR 45: Everything Is Happening
  3. ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again
  4. ITR 43: It's Winning Time
  5. ITR 42: Ripe For Repeat?

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Ontario Reign Name Andrew Lord As New Bench Boss

After the departure of head coach Marco Sturm, the Ontario Reign had been searching for a new head coach to take the bench for next season. Yesterday, the club, a part of the Los Angeles Kings, announced that they hired Andrew Lord as the new bench boss. Lord, 40, will be entering his twelfth season […]

Read More

Winnipeg Jets Sign Five Players to Two-Way Contract

The Winnipeg Jets signed five players to identical one-year, two-way contracts on Wednesday, July 2nd, to help bolster the team’s depth and American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. Goaltender Isaac Poulter, defenseman Kale Clague, and forwards Phillip Di Giuseppe, Samuel Fagemo, and Walker Duehr are on one-year deals worth an average annual value of […]

Read More

ECHL: Norfolk Admirals Announce New Assistant Coaches

The Norfolk Admirals will have some new faces on the bench next season as they’ve announced two new assistant coaches to Jeff Carr’s staff for the 2025-26 season. Steve Haddon and CJ D’Alimonte have both been named assistant coaches. They replace Brent Clarke, who has spent the last two seasons as an Assistant Coach with […]

Read More