New Jersey Devils Loses In Shootout In First Game Against Taylor Hall
In Saturday’s game, the New Jersey Devils dropped their third-straight game and lost to the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout. Overall, the game was rather average in all aspects, but there were a few things to note before Sunday’s rematch. The first was two terrible penalty calls that could have very easily cost the Devils the point. The first on Johnsson who got an interference call for skating in front of Taylor Hall and the second for Ty Smith who did absolutely nothing to impact the play, once again against Hall. Both were not penalties no matter how it was perceived, and it was a real kick in the back that both were on a former Devils player.
The good of the Devils loss to the Sabres.
On the offensive side of the puck, Andreas Johnsson scored his first goal as a member of the club and it was a fantastic shot. His game today was his best and this is something he needs to build on. Jack Hughes, Johnsson, and Jesper Bratt all played 19+ minutes, which is a ton for forwards, especially in a back-to-back situation. All three will be a big part of any win.
Once again, Hughes and Bratt left it all on the ice. Bratt’s hands looked amazing and he made numerous slick plays in the offensive end, including nearly winning the game on a breakaway before losing the handle of the puck. On top of this, Bratt gave the Devils a full 2 minute 5 on 3 which should have been a guaranteed goal. Hughes nearly snuck a backhander top shelf short side late in the game, which would have stolen a win. He is always a threat to score.
The Devils’ depth once again paid off big time as Janne Kuokkanen netted his first NHL goal from fellow fourth liners Nathan Bastian and Michael McLeod. Their effort can not be more evident along with the faith the coach has in them. Late in the game, down by one and they are still rolling them on the ice when a lot of coaches shorten the bench. It was an effort goal and they will do whatever it takes so for as long as that is the case the praise will continue to be sung for the young trio.
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On the back end, things were rather status quo as they have been all season and Ty Smith netted another goal and has tied for the rookie scoring lead with Kirill Kaprisov and continues making his case as the next big defender in the NHL.
Now, the bad in the Devils’ loss.
The Devils had a full two-minute 5-on-3 powerplay thanks to Jesper Bratt and managed to pass the puck around accomplishing nothing at all. The powerplay and penalty kill this year have been abysmal and this really was clear on this specific one. No one wanted to take the shot and the alignment was odd, to say the least. Palmieri has the best shot on the team and was planted in front of the net instead of waiting for the one timer like the last few seasons where he managed to be our best goal scorer.
The reason for this change is questionable and a little baffling so we will have to hope it changes back. They should not have been so shy to shoot and waiting for a perfect cross-ice tap-in goal is not a solid strategy to try over and over. Ty Smith should have been given a chance as well, he has proven he has the skill and ability so having him and Hughes cycling the puck with a triggerman like Palmieri is a dangerous combo with a lot of options for the other spots including a big net-front presence.