The New Jersey Devils finally came home after a disastrous six-game road trip. After Thursday night's overtime loss to the New York Rangers, the Devils secured a 1-4-1 road-trip record. It was the worst the Devils had been playing all season, and it was made especially worse with losses to lowly teams like the Rangers, Ducks, and Sharks. Coming home to see the Tampa Bay Lightning is not exactly a welcome parade.
The Devils have already lost to the Lightning by scores of 8-5 and 4-0. They just had the Devils' number. So, coming home to a team that's been dominating them this season is not exactly a lovely sight.
It was a much better showing by the Devils, taking the Lightning to the brink on multiple occasions and finally putting them away in overtime. The Devils had been 1-4 in overtime prior to this game, but they finally got one on their opponent after Stefan Noesen scored on Andrei Vasilevskiy. To get Noesen on the ice, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe needed to make a decision that most wouldn't have the guts to make.
The Devils were given an opportunity to win the game when Jack Hughes was tripped trying to make a play in the offensive zone. Since it was in overtime, it gave the Devils a 4-on-3 power play, considered by many to be the best possible scoring chance. The Devils started the power play like most would expect: with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton. Then, Keefe called a timeout.
When the Devils came back, Hamilton was replaced with Noesen, and the Devils went without a defenseman entirely. It was unconventional, but it's something a team like the Devils can do with the mindset they have and the struggles they are trying to overcome.
Sheldon Keefe's decision to put Stefan Noesen in the game led directly to a win.
Noesen was the perfect addition to this power play, allowing the Devils to continue to move and get the puck in high-danger areas. They got two shots on Vasilevskiy before scoring the game-winning goal. Noesen was alone in front, and the puck trickled to him off a deflected pass. He turned and shot which hit the corner of the net.
Keefe said after the game that the way the Lightning were playing the Devils is what drove the Devils to add Noesen. And honestly, that makes a lot of sense. Despite their best efforts, they were not able to get underneath the Lightning defenders, despite there being only three of them.
Keefe said 4 forwards on PP in OT was "a process of elimination."
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 12, 2025
TBL pressured high. #NJDevils needed net-front activity.
"Noes is the guy, that’s what he does so well, better than most (...) I didn’t want to take off the other 3.. process of elimination, you get 4 forwards."
It was a massive win for the Devils, who needed two points with the Metrpolitan Division getting increasingly competitive and the Devils getting too close to the Wild Card teams, one of which is the Lightning. Of course, the Lightning can't take the third Metro spot, but they could jump the Devils if they were to fall to a WC spot.
Wins like this can turn around a bad stretch. Even when another bad referee decision (got in the way that led to the Lightning tying goal) doesn't stop the Devils win, there's momentum to find in this win.