Yesterday, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins for a long intense matchup, with 10 goals scored across both teams. The Penguins ended the three-game winning streak held by the Devils, to extend theirs to four as they took a 7-3 win back home with them to Philly.
To kick off the game, approximately 10 minutes into the first and only less than two weeks after being traded by tonight’s opponents, Cody Glass scored on his former teammates for his second goal with the New Jersey Devils. Glass was acquired on March 8 in a trade between the Penguins, where alongside Glass the Devils received Jonathan Gruden, unsigned prospect Max Graham and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, for forward Chase Stillman of the Devils (nhl.com).
A little more than seven minutes later, Connor Dewar scored for the Penguins, tying up the game. Shortly after, a mere 20 seconds went by and the Penguins scored once again, Danton Heinen for his eighth of the season. The period came to a close with a score of 2-1, the Penguins leading the game into the second period.
At 4:24 in the second, Rickard Rakell scored, extending the lead already established by his teammates. The goal was assisted by Sidney Crosby as well as Conor Timmins. As the clock ran on, Devil’s kept the Penguins at bay for the remainder of the period, leaving the ice to prepare for the 3rd period with the score at 3-1.
Shortly into the third, the Penguins pressed on, and a little over two minutes in Philip Tomasino scored unassisted, increasing the Penguin’s lead now three goals above the Devils.
Despite the setback, the Devils persisted, and at 5:40 Timo Meier scored his 19th of the season on the Power Play. As the Devils fought on, Noel Acciari of the Penguins watched the Devils gain leverage from the penalty box after receiving a double minor four-minute penalty for high sticking.
Not long after Evgeni Malkin earned his second penalty of the game, leaving two Penguins in the box. Nico Hischier took advantage of this opportunity and scored (assisted by Luke Hughes and Jesper Bratt), shrinking the gap between his team and their opponents, making the score 4-3, with the Devils only a single point behind.
As the team began to get excited about their short-lived success, the Penguins answered back after a few minutes of high-pressure and intense gameplay. Erik Karlsson scored a PPG at 14:17, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. While the period started inching towards a close, the Devils began to show weakness defensively, and the game started to fall out of their hands right into Pittsburgh’s own.
With less than a minute left, the Penguins scored twice, at 19:05 Connor Dewar for his second of the game, assisted by Blake Lizotte, and again at 19:38, Kevin Hayes closing the game with the Penguins seventh of the game, assisted by Emil Bemström.
The Devils fell short last night to the Penguins, in a 7-3 defeat, as the team crumbled in the 3rd period, letting up 4 goals to their opponents. Could this have been because of the disappearance of teammates such as Jonas Seigenthaler and Dougie Hamilton due to injuries, or was the team unprepared for the battle they faced last night? All that is known is the Devils’ next matchup is with the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Monday at 7 pm. Find out tomorrow if the team can make a comeback, or if the Blue Jackets will overthrow the Devils in their home arena.
