PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Devils scored two third period power-play goals to cut a 4-1 deficit to 4-3 against the Penguins, but didn’t have enough to pull off the comeback in a 6-3 loss at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Cody Glass opened the scoring for the Devils. The Penguins responded with four goals from Connor Dewar, Danton Heinen, Rickard Rakell and Philip Tomasino.
The Devils received power-play goals from Timo Meier and captain Nico Hischier early in the third period.
Erik Karlsson’s late power-play goal sealed it. Dewar added an empty-netter. Kevin Hayes added one final tally in the final seconds.
“We just weren’t good in the game,” Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We weren’t good in execution with the puck. We made mistakes. We didn’t play winning hockey here today.”
“We stopped playing hockey for a bit. You give up seven goals that’s a recipe to lose a game,” Hischier said. “We beat ourselves.”
The loss snapped the Devils three-game winning streak.
“The hockey we played coming in here, we were controlling things and playing a real mature game,” Keefe said. “Today we didn’t. it’s been the story of our team all year. We haven’t been able to consistently do it. It’s why we’ve been stuck on three in terms of winning streaks all season long.”
The Devils will head to Columbus to finish the two-game road trip. The Blue Jackets are chasing the Devils in the Metro Division standings and it will be a key game in terms of playoff implications.
“It wasn’t a great game (against Pittsburgh), but we’ll look at what we did wrong and move on,” Hischier said. “We have an important game coming up for us, so we can’t be too moody about it.”
Pittsburgh defeats New Jersey 7-3
Here are some observations from the game:
• The Devils were in control of the game during the first period and built a 1-0 lead. However, after their power play failed to extend the lead, the Penguins gained momentum and would score two late first period goals 25 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
“The power play had its opportunity to take hold of the hockey game for us,” Keefe said. “That power play in the first period sucked the life out of our game we were so bad. The last seven minutes of the first period after that power play were no good for us, and frankly cost us.
“It’s got to be way better from the get-go.”
• The Devils were trailing 4-1 in the third period when two, not one but two, four-minute double minors were assessed to the Penguins (Noel Acciari, Evgeni Malkin). Meier scored on the first four-minute power play sequence while Hischier tallied on the second to make it a 4-3 game halfway through the final frame. The Penguins opened the door for the Devils and they stepped back into the game.
• Glass returned to Pittsburgh to face his former team for the first time since being traded a week prior to the Devils at the NHL trade deadline. And as the script goes, Glass would score against his former employer.
The Devils dumped a puck that rimmed all the way around in the offensive zone. It came to Jesper Bratt on the opposite halfway. Bratt found Glass, who was wide open in the right circle. Glass’ shot eluded the glove of goalie Tristan Jarry to give Glass two goals and four points in four games since joining New Jersey.
“Bratt had a good pickup on the wall. I knew he was going to find me in the slot,” Glass said. “I just tried putting it low glove and found the right spot.
“It’s tough going into a place that you played before. Create so many good friends and some good people here. It’s a game. You have to get your head into it and go out there and play.”
• Things looked dire for the Devils late in the second period when Brett Pesce was called for a double-minor high sticking penalty. New Jersey was already trailing the game 3-1 and now had to kill four minutes without their top killing defenseman.
The Devils did a masterful job. They were first to every loose puck, won every battle and had clean clears. The Penguins had very little zone time on the power play and managed just one shot on goal.
The Devils even scored a shorthanded goal. Kind of (see below).
• The Devils thought they had converted a shorty late in the second period off the stick of Nathan Bastian. He and Curtis Lazar were on the ice for a kill when the managed to entered the zone for a 2-on-0. Lazar held the puck and then went across to Bastian, who roofed the shot over the sprawling body of Jarry. However, the Penguins challenged the play for offside and indeed the goal was waived off.
Bratt’s three assists in the game give him three straight three-point games. He also has 60 helpers on the year, tying Scott Stevens (1993-94) for the most in franchise history in a single season.
• For the first time in 10 games, the Devils lost a game in which they scored first.
• The Devils also had a six-game winning streak in Pittsburgh snapped. The streak began on Oct. 30, 2021.
