Devils Postgame
3 Thoughts: Devils Suffocate Kraken, Lazy Offense Prevails; PK Losing Luster
It was an atypical win for the New Jersey Devils over the Seattle Kraken, as Luke Hughes and Co. claimed two points in unfamiliar ways.
This wasn’t your typical New Jersey Devils win. In fact, had a more dangerous team been in the Prudential Center on Friday night, it might not have been a win at all.
Regardless, the Devils hung on in regulation to claim two points and secure their second victory in as many games.
Ultimately, the Devils did well defensively, suffocating the Kraken’s offense by limiting them to just 20 shots.
Let’s get to how it happened.
Devils Recap
Back on home ice, the Devils forked over another lead as Andre Burakovsky slipped behind New Jersey’s defense and scored top-shelf to put the Kraken ahead 1-0. However, Luke Hughes evened the score about two minutes later to send the game into the first intermission tied at one.
The Kraken regained the lead in the second period on a Seattle power play as Shane Wright batted home a back door pass into the Devils’ goal. However, Jesper Bratt tied things again midway through the middle frame.
The Devils gained their first lead of the game in the third period. A bevy of errors in the defensive end by the Kraken resulted in an easy tap-in goal for Timo Meier, his 200th career NHL goal.
The Devils locked it down for the remainder of the third period and hung on to win 3-2.
Jacob Markstrom made 18 saves on 20 shots. He turned aside one of two shots on the Devils PK.
Takeaways
Give & Take
Perhaps, this is exactly what Team USA GM Bill Guerin and head coach Mike Sullivan meant when they said it would be premature to roster Luke Hughes at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
READ: Why Team USA Told Devils Luke Hughes Not Yet (+)
The youngest Hughes brother is clearly oozing with talent, but he’s still got some quirks to work out in his game.
Hands down, Hughes has been much stronger defensively this season. In fact, it’s been a revelation in his game. However, on the Kraken’s first goal, Hughes played Burakovsky poorly, resulting in New Jersey forking over another lead on home ice.
Seattle goal!
Scored by Andre Burakovsky with 09:44 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Vince Dunn.
New Jersey: 0
Seattle: 1#SEAvsNJD #NJDevils #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/er0faXCATg— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) December 7, 2024
Yet, not even two minutes later, Hughes tied the game, scoring his first goal of the season on an absolute snipe, finding the smallest amount of twine over the shoulder of Philipp Grubauer.
Hughes’ talent is undeniable. He just needs to polish his otherwise much improved defending.
Fell in Love With the Puck
Despite the large shot differential and ultimately claiming two points in regulation, this wasn’t a typical Devils victory.
Yes, the Devils held onto the puck a lot and there’s no denying the 36-20 scoring differential. However, if Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt weren’t on the ice, it felt like a very stale game for New Jersey.
Typically, the Devils practice quick passes and quickly convert on their chances. However, Friday night felt like they were stuck in the mud with the puck on their sticks, resulting in fewer scoring opportunities than usual.
“I thought we didn’t do enough with our time with the puck, things that we’ve been talking about,” head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. “We talked about it in the second intermission, things that we needed to do better… I thought some of our best sequences came in the first and the opening minutes in that third period. So we need more of that consistent, you know. Don’t fall in love with the puck. Let’s get it going towards the net. Let’s get some pace.”
PK Losing Luster?
The Devils’ penalty kill has been one of their strengths this season. However, over the last few games, it’s actually been pretty bad.
In their last eight games, the PK has allowed eight goals on the penalty kill.
The Devils got a late kill on a Tomas Tatar penalty which maintained their 3-2 lead.
However, the Devils probably shouldn’t have had to defend such a close lead, had someone covered Wright on Markstrom’s back door in the first period.
Instead, the Devils were caught puck watching.
“[The PK] really has come through so many times, and those guys needed to do it again,” Keefe said. “But first penalty kill is going on. That’s not good. We gotta do better than that, we gotta tighten that up, no question.”
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