The New Jersey Devils went into Amalie Arena to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning with a chip on their shoulder Saturday night.
After the Carolina Hurricanes humbled them in their season opener, the Devils knew they needed to play a lot better in order to earn wins.
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Their quest for their first victory became no easier over the weekend, with the Lightning seeking their first of the season as well.
Yet, it was the Devils who walked away victorious, and in overwhelming fashion.
First Period
The Devils got off to a much better start than they did on Thursday in Raleigh. They swarmed the Lightning from the first puck drop, peppering Andrei Vasilevskiy with three quick shots.
New Jersey went to an early power play after Jack Finley was called for a roughing minor on Dawson Mercer at 3:41. However, the man advantage was more of the same as we saw on Thursday.
Yet, after the penalty expired, Nico Hischier drove the net through the slot, and Timo Meier buried the rebound to score his first goal of the season, and give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
Just one and a half minutes later, Arseny Gritsyuk threaded a needle on the rush by passing the puck to the slot from the left circle, and Connor Brown opened his stick blade and beat Vasilevskiy for a quick 2-0 lead. It was both Gritsyuk’s first NHL point, and Brown’s first goal as a Devil.
The Devils certainly weren’t done there, continuing to apply the pressure on Tampa Bay. The captain needed just over three minutes to triple New Jersey’s lead in the first period. Nico Hischier entered the Lightning zone and dumped the puck to the point for Luke Hughes. The Devils defenseman’s shot was deflected, and the puck landed back on Hischier’s stick below the goal line. Hischier stayed strong on the puck, wrapped around the net and scored to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead.
By the time the Devils scored their third goal, New Jersey had an 11-1 shot advantage.
The dominant first period ended with a big save by Jacob Markstrom, stoning Jake Guentzel on a breakaway. New Jersey out-shot the Lightning 14-2 after the first 20 minutes.
Second Period
The Lightning calmed the waters in the second period and play evened out in the middle frame through the first five minutes.
At the seven-minute mark, Tampa Bay caught the Devils sleeping, as Brayden Point hopped over the boards as the Lightning rushed the puck up ice. The Lightning star snuck around New Jersey’s defense, went on an odd-man rush with Yanni Gourde, and fed the Lightning center, who beat Markstrom to cut the Devils lead to 3-1.
The Devils went to their fourth power play at the 14:23 mark of the middle frame. However, after yet another failed man advantage, the reverse momentum went into full effect.
As soon as the Lightning killed the penalty, the moved the puck to the offensive zone and cycled the puck. With tired Devils on the ice, Ryan McDonagh’s blast from the point brought the Lightning within a goal, making it a 3-2 game.
Third Period
The puck dropped for the third period, and the Devils decided they wanted to look like their first period selves again.
Jonas Siegenthaler was called for a trip just over three minutes into the third frame, sending the Devils to a crucial, early penalty kill. New Jersey rose to the occasion on the back of Jesper Bratt, however. At the Devils’ blueline, Bratt intercepted a pass and sprung himself for a breakaway, and gave the Devils a 4-2 lead.
Back on the rush, Gritsyuk drops a pass to Brown at the right circle, and the veteran winger beat Vasilevskiy for his second goal of the game, and regained the three-goal lead for New Jersey.
The Lightning found some late-game momentum and made a push to even the score. With under four minutes on the clock, Darren Raddysh cut the Devils’ lead to 5-3.
At 18:11 of the third period, Markstrom threw the puck over the glass and the Lightning went to the power play for the final 1:49.
Tampa Bay threw everything they could at Markstrom, however, he and the penalty killers played with desperation, and the buzzer ended the game before the Lightning could score.
The Devils earned their first victory of the season on Saturday. Markstrom earned his first win, making 13 saves on 16 shots.
