New Jersey Devils Recap: Week 3
Week three of the ’21-’22 New Jersey Devils season was an absolute rollercoaster. The Devils split their three games 1-1-1 and took three of the possible four points in games versus division rivals. The early-season California road trip is underway, and the Devils will finish it this weekend before flying back home to start playing a stretch of important games against Eastern Conference teams.
The Games
10/30/21: @ Pittsburgh Penguins [4-2 W]
The game Saturday in Pittsburgh was a gutsy win, and one I did not expect to see go the Devils’ way. Sidney Crosby, Penguin captain and NHL superstar, was finally cleared to play after recovering from offseason wrist surgery. Going in, I was expecting a three-point night from him, but New Jersey held him in check, and he was, shockingly, the reason the Penguins lost the game.
Pittsburgh’s third line got the scoring going a little more than halfway through the first. Danton Heinen found a loose puck in a crowded slot and snuck it past Jonathan Bernier to make it 1-0. Here we go, I thought to myself. Sure, I can see Crosby or Guentzel doing damage, but Heinen from Juuso Riikola and Zach Aston-Reese was not going to fly with me. Luckily, Andreas Johnsson found the back of the net with 37 seconds left in the period. Jesper Bratt made a nice zone entry, and Johnsson threw a puck towards the net that bounced off Pittsburgh’s own Evan Rodrigues and into the net.
New Jersey took the momentum from Johnsson’s late tally in the first and straight up dominated the second period from start to finish. The Devils out chanced the Penguins by at least five or six and had multiple breakaways. Tomas Tatar went to the penalty box for tripping Heinen at 17:36, but Jimmy Vesey would make a terrific play to spring himself for a shorthanded breakaway. Vesey would make no mistake, as he beat Tristan Jarry by sliding a backhand through the five-hole. Pittsburgh buzzed in the final minute, but Bernier stood tall to take a 2-1 lead into the third.
The lead would not last long, however, as the Penguins would equalize thanks to a great pass by Teddy Blueger that perfectly hit Brock McGinn wide open in the slot. Blueger raced into the Devils zone and made the pass while falling down in the corner and attracting a few pairs of eyes of Devils defenders.
Bernier made the save of the night just a minute later on a Penguins powerplay. He absolutely snatched an uncontested wrister by Guentzel that was ticketed to go top shelf. The Penguins sort of dominated the period because of penalties until Jesper Bratt was hooked on a breakaway by Crosby with just three minutes left. Bratt was awarded a penalty shot and undressed Jarry with a beautiful move, and the Devils were suddenly back up 3-2.
The final goal came by the way of a semi-empty net. Johnsson intercepted a neutral zone pass and took it the other way as Jarry was trying to leave the ice for an extra attacker. Because Jarry never made it to the bench, the goal was credited against him, and the Devils held on in the final 103 seconds to win 4-2.
It always nice to see the Devils beat a division rival, but it’s even better to win games you probably didn’t deserve to. New Jersey took five penalties in the game, and successfully killed off all five. The Devils did outplay Pittsburgh 5-on-5 for most of the night, though. I just would have expected the Penguins to score on at least one of their man advantages. The Devils were able to get timely goals, with all four coming in the final stages of each period.
10/31/21: vs. Columbus Blue Jackets [3-4 L/SO]
The Devils lost their first game that ended beyond regulation Sunday afternoon versus Columbus. Oh yeah, and Happy Halloween! Coming into the year, the Blue Jackets did not have many expectations, but they still play hard every night, and snuck out of New Jersey with two points that they definitely did not deserve but earned. Scott Wedgewood took the crease for the Devils, and I would say this loss was probably on him. He let in a couple goals that were a bit puzzling, and the Devils outshot the Blue Jackets 39-26.
Johnsson remained hot by netting a goal just 67 seconds in from Subban and Bratt. It was his fourth of the year and third in two days. Columbus would surge in the middle of the first period, as Oliver Bjorkstrand scored on the powerplay from Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine at 11:55. Bjorkstrand is a known owner of the New Jersey Devils. He now has nine goals and 14 points in 16 career games against them, all while posting a +8 rating. His nine goals are the most and the 14 are tied for most versus any team in his career.
At 1-1, Columbus continued to add pressure, and Patrik Laine scored a highlight reel one-timer just three minutes after Bjorkstrand’s goal. Voracek fed him a beauty of a pass on the rush, and he wired it right under the crossbar for the lead. Wedgewood was not at fault for that one, because I don’t think any goalie was going to stop a shot like that.
The Devils tilted the ice for the next 40 minutes, and I wish I was lying, but they only scored twice. In the second, Dawson Mercer and Dougie Hamilton scored less than two minutes apart. Hamilton was busy all night in the offensive zone, as he put up a season-high 10 shots on goal. His second goal of the season was a blast from the top of the right circle from Hischier and Zacha, and Subban was the lone assister on Mercer’s third of the year.
The Devils had three powerplays in the third but scored no goals on any of them. Joonas Korpisalo was in a shooting gallery for the entire period, yet the Blue Jackets were the ones who scored thanks to a high effort play from Boone Jenner. Wedgewood should’ve had this shot, but because the play was slow developing, I think he lost the net a little bit. He definitely wishes he could get that one back, and the game headed to overtime tied at three.
The overtime was fun, and both teams traded ringing the iron. Bjorkstrand hit the crossbar and Hamilton had multiple looks but couldn’t get a lucky bounce. New Jersey dominated those five minutes, as well, but the game went into a shootout. In it, Bratt, Hamilton, and Mercer went 0-3. Bjorkstrand and Laine both missed the net, but Voracek was able to score in the bottom of the third to win the game 4-3.
11/2/21: @ Anaheim Ducks [0-4 L]
Like last week’s game against Calgary and week one’s game against Washington, this game was a clunker. I could see some excuse of it being the first true road trip of the year, but the team just kind of gave up after the first period. They still outshot the Ducks, making it seven of their first eight games in which they outshot their opponent.
New Jersey outplayed Anaheim in the first 10 minutes but couldn’t solve John Gibson. I think having four or five high-danger chances not find the twine ultimately took the wind out of the sales of the whole team. Bernier let in a powerplay goal from Ryan Getzlaf at 12:05, and Anaheim never looked back.
Troy Terry scored his sixth and seventh goals of the year, and Isac Lundestrom tallied a shorthanded goal to put the icing on the cake. It was a frustrating night for the Devils special teams, as they took seven minors and converted none of their five powerplay attempts. The New Jersey Devils are really missing Jack Hughes right now, who is the cog in the wheel that gets the powerplay going. Luckily, this team has played well 5-on-5. Otherwise, they probably would be winless without Hughes in the lineup.
Storylines
Head coach Lindy Ruff is experimenting with different line combinations because of Hughes’s absence. I think he struck gold in this Bratt/Mercer/Johnsson line. All three of them scored this week, and they were the one line that was creating consistent chances throughout each game.
Mackenzie Blackwood was taken off IR prior to Tuesday’s matchup with Anaheim. He didn’t play yet, but he will start either Friday or Saturday. Bernier also returned this week from his nagging injury, which means no more need for Scott Wedgewood. He was claimed off waivers by Arizona Wednesday. It looks like 20-year-old Nico Daws will be the third stringer.
Dougie Hamilton exited the game in Anaheim in the first period with a lower-body injury. He currently has two goals, four assists, and a +4 rating through eight games.
The New Jersey Devils called up winger and top prospect Alexander Holtz Thursday from AHL Utica. Without Hughes, the Devils are strapped for offense, so going to Holtz should see some increased chances on the powerplay and even strength.
P.K. Subban was fined again for slew footing an opponent. This time, the defensemen was fined $15k for a dangerous play on Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras. What is he doing? I wanted to think that this was just a joke by Subban because of going after dues that were just bigger than him. But now that he’s gone after Zegras, who is small, young, and one of the brighter pieces for Anaheim’s future, makes me wonder if Subban needs a game or two worth of suspension.
Three Stars
- Andreas Johnsson netted three goals this week. He and his new line mates were clicking, and he posted a +4 rating in three games.
- Jesper Bratt was the hero against Pittsburgh, and it looks like he’s playing with more and more confidence each game. He had a goal and two assists in Week 3.
- Though Dougie Hamilton didn’t finish the game against Anaheim, he was everywhere in the first two games. He put up 15 shots in those two games and tallied a goal and an assist. He was also +2 for the week.
Standings Update
Following Tuesday’s loss, the Devils were still in sixth place in the Metro, but ultimately fell down to eighth come Thursday. New Jersey remains the only last place team to have an above-.500 record (4-3-1). Carolina, the New York Rangers, and Washington hold the top three division spots, while Philadelphia and Columbus occupy the wild card slots. Still, the Devils are just three points back of a playoff spot.
The Week Ahead
The New Jersey Devils will finish their California road trip this weekend with back-to-back games against the Kings and Sharks. On Tuesday, they get to host what I believe is the NHL’s best team in the Florida Panthers, who are 9-0-1. Then, it’s a divisional matchup with the Islanders on Thursday. These games are the first two of seven straight against Eastern Conference teams, so this will be an important stretch for the team. This is the first week where the Devils play four games.
Read the New Jersey Devils recap from week two here.
Read the New Jersey Devils season preview here.
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