What a brutal, brutal loss by the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. There's no other way to explain the team's performance in the third period. It was absolutely brutal. There was no explanation for their complete implosion in the third period against the Calgary Flames. The Devils went into the period with a 3-1 lead and dominating at all phases of the ice. They led in shots by 12 and really didn't give up many big chances in the defensive zone.
Then, the clock started on the third period. The Flames started the period with an all-out blitz on the Devils, and deja vu hit.
See, the Devils just survived what was the best effort against them at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. After going up 2-0, the Jackets put up 24 shots in the third period. Luckily for the Devils, Jake Allen was a brick wall. He stopped 23 of the 24 shots and secured the Devils win.
Jacob Markstrom post-knee injury is not Jake Allen. To be honest, he's been pretty brutal since returning from injury. He let up three goals in relatively quick succession on Thursday night, and the Devils lost 5-3 after the Flames scored on an empty net.
Third period collapses aren't new to this year's Devils team
In the third period, the Flames swept high-danger chances according to Natural Stat Trick. When looking at the season as a whole, it's clear something isn't right. The Devils are dominant in the first and second period over the aggregate of the season. They are below average in the third period.
The Devils lead in shots in the first period over the season by +41. The lead in shots in the second period by +90. Somehow, they are -3 in shot differential in the third period. This comes down to two things, and they are very similar. The Devils tend to sit back on their heels and let the opponent take the game to them in the third period, and the system in its framework allows easy zone entries by proxy.
The Devils basically know the result of most games going into the third. This was their first regulation loss of the season when they go into the third period with a lead. They did have two overtime losses, but at least they put points in the standings. They have just one win when going into the third period down by any score. When tied in the second intermission, they are 6-7-2. Those are awful records for a team who has been fighting for standings points for most of the season.
Most Devils fans will admit this Devils team is missing a little bite. They have something special in terms of talent, but it's just missing something that isn't there that a championship team needs. Most teams are going to lose when they are losing at the second intermission, but they find a way at least sometimes. The Dallas Stars have three third-period comebacks after training at intermission. The Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers both have four. That's six standings points difference, and would have made this Metropolitan Division race completely non-existent.
This loss needs to stay on the bulletin board for every single intermission for the Devils the rest of the season. They need to be reminded what happens when they don't show up. There are no excuses. No complaining about Timo Meier's missed high stick call or Jacob Markstrom's play. It's time to buck up and play hard in the third period. Or this season is going to end quickly into the playoffs.