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Head Coach Lindy Ruff
WHAT'S NEXT
The Devils host the Boston Bruins in a grudge match on Wednesday, Dec. 28. The game can be seen on TNT and heard on the Devils Hockey Network, including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. ET.
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Here are some observations from the game...
- The second period was a great example of how momentum swings (and within just a few minutes) can be the difference in hockey games. The Bruins won this game in a 7:49-minute span during that middle frame. Let's breakdown the sequences:
<em>2:03</em>: Miles Wood had a breakaway: saved by Ullmark
<em>3:12:</em>Bergeron scored to make it 1-1
<em>3:35:</em>Nico Hischier was stopped all alone at the crease on a 2-on-1
<em>3:45:</em>Tomas Tatar hit the crossbar on a wide-open look
<em>4:34:</em>Pastrnak scoreed to make it 2-1 Bruins
<em>6:02:</em>Jesper Bratt's shot went off Ullmark's glove and trickled to the goal line before being covered
9:52: Pastrnak scored to make it 3-1 Bruins. Game over.
Had the Devils scored on just ONE of those opportunities, the complexion of this game is completely changed. But that was the difference. The Bruins converted on their chances while the Devils could not. The result is the result.
"You look at the second period, probably our best opportunities to score, breakaway, off the iron a couple of times. We don't," Ruff said. "We made a couple big mistakes. I didn't like our puck play. I didn't like our determination on a couple goals against. At the same time maybe get a save, too."
- Hughes continued his torrid scoring spree, picking up his 11th goal and 15th point in his past 14 games. Hughes opened the scoring at 16:36 of the first period with a power-play goal. It was a pretty non-descript play: offensive zone faceoff win by Hischier, Hughes to Dougie Hamilton back to Hughes, who skated the to the top of the circle and sniped. That sickest aspect of the play was the shot, far side and nasty.
On the goal, Linus Ullmark was set at the top of his crease when Hughes received the puck. As Hughes skated forward to the top of the circle, Ullmark backed off and started cheating on a cross-ice pass. By the time Hughes released the shot, Ullmark was on his goal line and leaning toward the Devil on the opposite side (Tatar). Hughes completely fooled him and handcuffed him on the tally.
- Also, tonight marked Hughes' 200th career NHL game. He's totaled 62 goals, 85 assists and 146 points through two hundo.
- The Devils played without defenseman John Marino (upper-body) and Ryan Graves (lower-body). The club recalled blueliner Nikita Okhotiuk form Utica of the American Hockey League. It was his first NHL game this season.
- Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood surrendered four goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Vitek Vanecek for the third period.
"We'd like Blackwood to be better tonight," Ruff said. "There were a couple saves you'd like to get. We didn't get him. We tried to look for a little bit of a spark by putting V in and saying if you can keep him there maybe we can get back in. And we almost did."
- Defenseman Kevin Bahl played 8:14 minutes in the game, zero seconds in the third period. Bahl was stripped of the puck by Brad Marchand, who set up DeBrusk for the Bruins' fourth goal of the game late in the second period. Bahl did not play after that.
"We shortened the bench," Ruff said. "That play was a tough play. There were other tough plays in the game, too. We tried to shorten it and tried to get what we felt were our best players at that time on the ice."
