Devils Lose The Battle Of The Streaks In OT Vs. Columbus

With only 6 games left in their 2014-2015 NHL season, the New Jersey Devils came into tonight’s road game in Columbus having lost their last 5 games (0-4-1) and also knowing they will miss the playoffs yet again. While they may be disappointed, they know that they still need to play out these last remaining games in order to try to hold onto whatever pride they have left as members of this organization.

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For some, these last six games will be vital to prove they can still play at this level and for others it will be an opportunity to start auditioning early to keep their roster spot on this team for next season. Tonight would serve to be their first test vs. a Columbus team with many players in the same situation as them.

Tonight’s game started off pretty evenly with good opportunities from both teams. Both teams had opportunities on the power-play, but only one team would be able to cash in on their extra-man opportunity in the first period. The Devils got a power-play late in the first after some post-whistle activity saw Jeremy Morin pulled down Steve Bernier after a Cory Schneider save.

Mike Cammalleri was able to make the Jackets pay for the penalty after scoring on a one-timer from the same spot he whiffed on just seconds before. That goal was his team-leading 26th of the season and would give the Devils a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The second period was where it got ugly for the Devils in this one. They were burned by a Nick Foligno deflection just 1:49 into the period on the power-play due to Patrik Elias‘ tripping penalty with under 10 seconds left in the first. Columbus then took a 2-1 lead after Stefan Matteau was called for a slash on a Brandon Dubinsky breakaway opportunity.The call was a little questionable as Matteau’s slash did make contact with Dubinsky’s stick. but didn’t exactly hinder Dubinsky from getting a good opportunity to score against Schneider (which he saved). Dubinsky beat Schneider on the penalty shot and the Jackets took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.

Having only scored 5 goals in their last 5 games the Devils came into the third period looking for an equalizer and nearly got one about four minutes in. Patrik Elias had a wraparound shot that hit both Sergei Bobrovsky and the post then cleared off the goal-line. Things appeared grim for New Jersey after Elias took a penalty with just under four minutes left in the third, but then the penalty-kill unit got hungry.

Mar 31, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Mike Cammalleri (23) celebrates a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Cammalleri was able to feed Dainius Zubrus for a shorthanded breakaway, but Zubrus was unable to beat Bobrovsky for the equalizer. Zubrus however did a fantastic job of sticking with the rebound and was able to get the puck back in front off Bobrovsky where Cammalleri was waiting to knock in the rebound out of the air for his 27th goal of the season which made it 2-2. The goal would be reviewed, but the call on the ice was upheld and the two teams ended regulation tied at two.

Tonight would unfortunately not be the night that the Devils losing streak would end. Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson was able to beat Cory Schneider just 56 seconds into overtime to extend their winning streak to 7 and the Devils losing streak to 6. I’d say this losing steak is representative of just how low the Devils have fallen as this is now a season-high 6 game losing streak and the team has managed to score a measly 7 goals during this losing streak. At least Mike Cammalleri has a good shot at reaching thirty goals in his first season as a Devil.

The Devils are back in action at home on Friday night vs. the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m.

Next: Devils Eliminated From Playoff Contention For The Third Year In A Row

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