Devils' 3-2 OT Win vs. Lightning: It's Coming Around
The New Jersey Devils got a much-needed win vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning in a sign they may be coming out of their slump.
Follow us on Twitter: @AlexC_NJD, @NJD_OnTheRush
Follow me on Bluesky
The New Jersey Devils needed that one, didn't they? Last night's 3-2 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning had a similar blueprint to the Devils' tilt against the New York Rangers a few nights ago — except, this time, the Devils managed to secure the second point.
Jacob Markström was excellent again, but the Devils played a solid 40 minutes before hanging on by a thread in the third period to get to overtime and the second point.
Jack Hughes' Line Came to Play
I liked plenty of what the Devils did, especially across the first 40 minutes of yesterday's game. They were the more threatening team, and the Ondřej Palát, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt line was behind much of the pressure they applied on the Lightning.
Palát opened the scoring for the Devils by redirecting a Dougie Hamilton point shot, but this unit was responsible for much more than that, especially in the first period. Even before Palát's goal, they had the Lightning on their heels.
Soon after Palát's goal, Johnathan Kovacevic stood up at the blue line and forced a turnover, springing Hughes and Bratt on a 2-on-1, but Hughes fired the shot wide.
Hughes also sprung Bratt on a breakaway with a great saucer pass from near his goal line, but Bratt fired the shot off the post. They may have only totaled one goal in the first period, but they certainly could have had more.
The Hughes line continued their strong play early in the second, applying more pressure in the offensive zone and playing keep away with the puck. Hughes also made a great play in the neutral zone to intercept a pass en route to his rush goal.
Overall, Palát, Hughes and Bratt finished with an expected goals share (xG%) of 70.59 percent and out-chanced the Lightning 11-5. They drove much of the Devils' five-on-five offense last night, and they likely wouldn't have come away with the win without their efforts.
Markström Stays Dialed In
It's been a long time since the Devils have gotten the goaltending they are from Markström for the last month or so. You'd probably have to go back to Cory Schneider's peak during the 2015-16 season when he posted a .921 save percentage.
To be fair, the Devils did defend much better last night, especially in the first two periods. They looked closer to the pre-Christmas break Devils who were allowing 20 shots on goal or fewer. There were some decent stretches where the Lightning didn't generate much at five-on-five.
Still, Markström had to make high-danger saves. Once again, he found himself on the highlight reel when he robbed Brayden Point of what would have been a sure goal on the power play. That proved crucial as the Lightning probably would have won in regulation if it weren't for that stop.
Markström had other big-time saves, though. He made a great glove stop on Nikita Kucherov, who fired a quick snapshot coming off the rush with a head of steam. And had it not been for the puck taking a lucky bounce off the linesman on Kucherov's breakaway tally, Markström probably would have held down the fort in the third.
The Devils' netminder finished the night making 23 saves on 25 shots while saving 0.75 goals above expected. He was also 6/7 on high-danger shots, and I don't think anyone could blame him for giving up the one high-danger goal (Kucherov's breakaway).
Markström has a .924 SV% across his last ten games and has saved 8.19 goals above expected. He also has a sparkling .907 high-danger SV% across those ten games. That's Vezina-caliber goaltending, so expect Sheldon Keefe to keep riding the hot hand.
Devils Seem To Be Coming Out of Their Slump
I wouldn't say they're all the way there yet, but the Devils seem to be trending in the right direction after their mini-slump coming out of the Christmas break. They've secured five out of six possible points in their last three games, and have looked better.
They were the better team against the Rangers for 40 minutes before running out of gas in the third period. That was the case again yesterday against the Lightning, so there are still things to work on, but the process is improving.
We mentioned the Devils' defensive effort across the first two periods, but they allowed just 1.66 expected goals at five-on-five for the game. That's pretty impressive, given the Lightning's top six.
The Devils also managed late-game situations better, except for Paul Cotter taking a high-sticking penalty with about five seconds left in the second.
For example, even though the Lightning were the better team in the third period, the Devils played a smart final five minutes. There weren't any glaring turnovers, and they didn't try to do too much with the puck. They seemed to know they could at least get a point out of the game.
That's not something they did well out west in their losses to the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, so perhaps it's starting to come around again.
Quick Hits
Last night's win was another sign of how good Keefe and his coaching staff are. With about a minute left on a 4-on-3 power play in overtime, Keefe uses his timeout and returns to the ice with four forwards, with Stefan Noesen coming in for Dougie Hamilton. Keefe realized the Lightning were taking away Hamilton's shooting threat, so they added Noesen for more of a net-front presence, and it literally won the Devils the game.
Even though the Devils couldn't build any momentum from their penalty kill, their shorthanded unit came up huge. The Lightning's power play was converting at just under 27 percent before yesterday's game, ranked fifth in the NHL, but the Devils had them to just four shots on goal across three power plays. They lost the special teams battle against the Rangers a couple of nights ago, but it made the difference in yesterday's win.
He might not be scoring much right now, but Dawson Mercer is playing pretty well. He had a couple of key shot blocks last night and was excellent on the penalty kill, as he applied pressure and forced a couple of clears down the ice. It'll be interesting to see if he starts producing more once the Devils make trades and improve their middle six.
Devils Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick