Devils' 5-3 Win vs. Lightning: Bouncing Back
The New Jersey Devils bounced back with an impressive 5-3 win over the Lightning for their first victory of the 2025-26 season.
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The New Jersey Devils may have disappointed in their season-opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, but they certainly didn’t last night in their 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Fueled by a three-goal first period, the Devils secured their first win with an impressive performance. Here are some key takeaways.
Devils’ Dominant 1st Period
First periods have been a problem for the Devils for at least a couple of seasons. It was against the Hurricanes on Thursday, but they got off to the exact start they needed against the Bolts.
The first three or four minutes of last night’s game were a bit shaky. The Devils had some trouble with their puck management in the defensive zone, but that didn’t last long. Once Timo Meier opened up the scoring, the Devils put their foot on the gas and skated circles around the Lightning during the opening 20 minutes.
With Evgenii Dadonov out with a hand fracture, Arseny Gritsyuk moved up to the third line with Connor Brown and Cody Glass and had an immediate impact. He made a perfect pass off the rush to Brown, who redirected the puck in to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.
Hischier would add one more for good measure, getting a couple of fortunate bounces on a wraparound that found its way past Andrei Vasilevskiy for a 3-0 Devils lead.
The Devils did let the Lightning back into the game in the second period, but that three-goal cushion they built in the opening frame helped them seal the game in the third.
Overall, the Devils finished with an expected goals share (xG%) of 82.63 percent at five-on-five and outshot the Lightning 16-2 at all strengths in the first period. It’s too early to say if that will become a trend, but fast starts would help a team that scored the fewest first-period goals last season.
Gritsyuk Makes an Impact
I absolutely loved what I saw from Gritsyuk in just his second NHL game. He looked ready from the get-go and nearly scored on a partial breakaway early in the first period, but Vasilevskiy denied him.
What was impressive about that play is that Gritsyuk recognized the Lightning’s defense was out of position and that there was plenty of room to skate through the neutral zone. He anticipated he’d have a rush opportunity and presented Brown with a perfect passing lane.
That was only the start of their chemistry. After Brown’s first, Gritsyuk later set him up again with a perfect drop pass for Brown’s second goal in the third to help the Devils essentially ice the game away.
Gritsyuk also nearly scored his first NHL goal in the third period, but couldn’t sneak the puck past Vasilevskiy after some shifty dangles. It could have easily been a three or four-point night if he had a bit more luck.
Gritsyuk was one of the Devils’ best skaters for the night, finishing fourth in game score. He was second on the team in shots on goal behind Jack Hughes and looked like a better fit with Glass and Brown. I can’t imagine Dadonov returning soon since he has a fracture, so Gritsyuk should continue to get some more top-nine minutes.
Devils’ Resiliency
I don’t think you can say the Devils blew it against the Hurricanes since they never held a lead, but they could have stolen a point with some tighter defending late.
For a minute, it seemed like the Devils were on their way to blowing last night’s game after Ryan McDonagh cut their lead to 3-2. The Lightning got a power play early in the third and had an opportunity to tie the game, but the Devils completely flipped the momentum.
Jesper Bratt intercepted a soft pass from Nikita Kucherov and took the puck the other way for a shorthanded breakaway goal to give the Devils a 4-2 lead. At that point, you could feel the Devils take away any momentum the Lightning had generated from McDonagh’s goal late in the second.
The Devils would add one more for good measure from Brown to make it 5-2, but even after that, things got a bit nervy when the Lightning pulled for the extra attacker. But to the Devils’ credit, they made life difficult for the Lightning by blocking multiple shots and not giving them many shooting lanes.
Not to go full boomer hockey on everyone, but it was good to see the Devils show plenty of resiliency in the third period against a team that some think can win the Atlantic Division.
Quick Hits
Jacob Markström did not face much work yesterday, thanks to the Devils’ defensive play in front of him, but it was a shaky performance. Granted, he made a couple of key saves, such as the one on Jake Guentzel’s breakaway late in the first or the glove stop on Erik Cernak early in the second, but he did allow three goals on 2.26 expected goals. It’s early in the season, so there’s no reason to be concerned yet, but his first two starts have been just so-so.
Luke Hughes is certainly justifying that new $9 million cap hit, as he has four points in his first two games after collecting a couple of more assists last night. He was one of the Devils’ best five-on-five skaters, finishing with an xG% of 69.42 percent. He was active offensively and looks poised for a breakout season in the early goings.
Jack Hughes hasn’t scored a goal yet, but it’s coming. He was all over the ice last night, totaling 12 shot attempts, seven shots on goal, eight scoring chances and five high-danger chances at all strengths. Perhaps he breaks through against a leaky Columbus Blue Jackets team tomorrow night.
Šimon Nemec posted some ugly numbers against the Hurricanes in the season opener, but last night was essentially a 180. The Devils out-attempted the Lightning 22-8 and had an xG% of 76.93 percent when he was on the ice at five-on-five. Those are the numbers you hope to see from him more often than not in the third-pair role that he’s playing.
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