3 Thoughts: You Kidding, Markstrom?! Resilient Devils End Streak vs. Kraken

The New Jersey Devils entered Emerald City on Monday looking to snap their four-game win streak amid a nightmare western road trip.

Thanks to a strong start, some resilience, and an incredible number of stops from goaltender Jacob Markstrom, the Devils got back in the win column, defeating the Kraken 3-2 in regulation.

Devils Recap

The Devils started Monday night’s game much stronger than their previous four, amid their four-game losing streak. As a result, the Devils took a 1-0 lead in the first period on Dawson Mercer’s 10th goal of the season. Later in the first period, Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom was screened, and Adam Larsson’s wrist shot from the blueline finds twine to tie the game.

The Devils played a much tighter second period. The Kraken didn’t generate a scoring chance, and despite the Devils’ 10 chances, it took until the final 25 seconds of the middle frame to reclaim the lead. Paul Cotter registered his 10th goal of the season and his second in as many games to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.

The Kraken quickly tied the game at two in the third period, with some of the Devils’ best penalty killers sitting in the penalty box. However, Jack Hughes found Ondrej Palat in the slot for a quick response and the Devils took back their lead, 3-2.

Markstrom made 22 saves on 24 shots en route to his 20th win of the season.

Takeaways

Better Start, Until it Wasn’t

The Devils needed to get off to a better start on Monday in order to put an end to their four-game losing streak. And they did when Mercer scored an early goal on a secondary chance to give the Devils a lead and an opportunity to play in front.

Through the first 10 minutes of the opening frame, the Devils dominated the chance differential, 11-2. However, the Kraken clawed a goal out of their own to tie the game, and swung the momentum in their direction.

The Devils proceeded to get sloppy and get away from their structure, which lead to a flurry of extra chances throughout the remainder of the first period. Fortunately, Markstrom fought off a number of Seattle chances and kept the game tied at one heading into the first intermission.

We’re seeing the Devils make risky plays when the puck isn’t in their possession, such as a failed pinch play that leads to an odd-man rush, or overall lack of positional awareness. It’s something the Devils didn’t do pre-holiday break, and is a habit they need to drop sooner than later.

Resilient

New Jersey hunkered down in the second period and didn’t allow the Kraken a single scoring chance. Instead,  they accrued 10 chances of their own, and converted on the final one via Cotter.

Then, the Kraken tied things quickly in the third period. However, Jack Hughes fed Palat with a slick pass to the slot, and the veteran forward chipped the pass over the shoulder of Philipp Grubauer and in.

The quick response was encouraging, as while on their losing streak, the Devils tended to buckle and ultimately, leave points on the table.

On Monday, they bent, but didn’t break, which helped them avoid dropping a fifth game in a row.

Are You Kidding, Markstrom!

Jacob Markstrom continues to make our jaws drop on a nightly basis.

The Devils’ goaltender made a number of strong saves throughout Monday’s tilt with the Kraken, but none were more impressive than the save he made against Eeli Tolvanen.

On Markstrom’s back door, Tolvanen received a pass from Wright and had a wide open net. However, the Devils’ goaltender reached behind him with his glove, and absolutely robbed Tolvanen of an easy tap in—which would have tied the game at three.

JACOB MARKSTROM ROBS TOLVANEN BLIND!#NJDevils pic.twitter.com/iyHINh0UuU

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 7, 2025

The desperation glove save on Tolvanen wasn’t his first impressive save of the night, nor was it his last, as he made another sprawling save later in the third. He ended the night somehow, only making 0.45 saves above expected.

The eye test suggests Seattle could have scored two-to-three more goals.

New Jersey owe’s Markstrom a nice steak dinner after that one.

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