Devils Postgame
Devils Postgame: Keefe Pushes Right Buttons; Markstrom Superb, Again
Jacob Markstrom makes 30 saves, Paul Cotter scores in new top six-role as the New Jersey Devils defeat Travis Green’s Ottawa Senators 3-1.
The New Jersey Devils’ former interim head coach, Travis Green, welcomed his previous club to the Canadian Tire Centre to take on his Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. It was the last of two away games for New Jersey on their current road trip.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe went with a new-look forward group, shaking up the top-9 in search for more offense.
READ: Devils Sheldon Keefe Makes Big Changes to Lineup
Keefe’s line shakeup worked as the Devils defeated the Senators 3-1 in regulation, receiving two even strength goals from their new-look top-9.
Let’s get to how it happened.
Devils Recap
The Devils and Senators went scoreless in the first period, trading chances that didn’t fall on both sides. The Senators hit two posts before the final buzzer rang in the opening frame.
In the second, just after an Ottawa penalty expired, Johnathan Kovacevic’s shot from the blue line was redirected past Anton Forsberg to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, the Devils went to the penalty kill, yet Nathan Bastian sniped New Jersey’s second goal blocker side for a 2-0 lead.
In the third, the Devils gained the offensive zone and cycled the puck around a tired Ottawa team. After a rebound found its way to the slot, Paul Cotter banged it home past Forsberg to triple New Jersey’s lead.
The Devils nearly escaped with their second shutout of the season, however, a Claude Giroux shot was redirected by Brady Tkachuk for their first goal of the game with about a minute left in the game.
Jacob Markstrom secured the win, making 30 saves on 31 shots and stopping 29/29 at even strength.
Takeaways
Sloppy Start
Perhaps, we should have expected this after the Devils’ forward lines were shaken up.
Keefe certainly wanted his team to look cleaner than they did on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes following their 4-2 loss. As a result, he tweaked the top-9 in search for more scoring. However, it was a sloppy first period for New Jersey as the Senators controlled the scoring chance differential.
The Devils struggled to connect on passes, cleanly transition the puck from the defensive to offensive zone, and created very little pressure on the Ottawa defense and Anton Forsberg to create scoring chances.
Late in the first, Keefe deployed an S.O.S line of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt. It resulted in the Devils’ best shift all period, however, they couldn’t convert.
Power Kill
What more can we say about the Devils’ penalty kill. It’s been so good they should honestly rename it the power kill.
New Jersey successfully killed another X power plays on Thursday, adding to their already impressive sample. In fact, it was so good, that the Devils created scoring chances short a man, and eventually converted as Bastian sniped the puck past Forsberg to double the Devils’ lead.
Although the power play might not be as efficient, the Devils’ high-pressure PK has been nothing short of fantastic, killing X/X so far this season.
“It’s obviously great. That’s a momentum changer for sure. Instead of tying the game, we double our lead. So, it’s been great,” Markstrom explained.
Jacob Markstrom
The Devils’ goaltender had his best start in his short tenure in New Jersey thus far. Sure, he had a little bit of help from the goal posts (three times, exactly), but what goaltender doesn’t need a little bit of luck in the NHL?
Markstrom showcased a particularly strong glove on Thursday night, fanning down quite a few shots to his left side. In fact, his glove not only prevented the puck from hitting the back of the net, but also severed momentum being built by the Senators, who were seeking rebound chances.
The tilt between New Jersey and Ottawa probably should have been a little closer than it was. The Devils’ sloppy start allowed Ottawa build more scoring chances than New Jersey in the first and third periods. Yet, Markstrom’s strong presence propelled the Devils to victory.
Through 60 minutes, the Swedish netminder finished the game with a 1.4 goals saved above expected.
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