12/9 Devils vs. Blues: 3 Things We Learned

The Devils lost, 4-1, to St Louis Friday night, their first loss at home in regulation this season, with the lone goal coming from PA Parenteau. Here's what we learned:
1) It wasn't 49 like they allowed against Montreal, but the Devils were outshot once again, 32-21, including eight by Vladimir Tarasenko. As head coach John Hynes said after the game, the defensive effort was better tonight, but wasn't good enough to give them a chance to win the game.

2) The Devils have steadily been 50% in the faceoff circle so far this season, but tonight they struggled. They were only 29% in the first period, improved to 35% in the second and finished the game at 40%. To make matters worse, most of the faceoffs they lost were in the defensive zone.
3) The Devils felt their compete level was better than last night, but they still weren't happy with the effort they gave tonight. Michael Cammalleri said the only thing they can do now is assess and address what went wrong in tonight's game, move forward and do their best to fix it for their next game on Sunday.
The Devils will have an optional practice on Saturday and then head across the river to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers Sunday night.