Devils fall 5-3 to Bolts, drop to 0-2 in playoff series
10 Takeaways: Devils fail to split series in Tampa, fall to Lightning to 5-3.
by Amanda Stein @AmandaCStein / newjerseydevils.com
TAMPA, FL -- The New Jersey Devils' afternoon in Tampa Bay did not go as planned on Saturday. The Devils gave up four second period goals in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Lightning. It was a hole the Devils would not be able to climb out of, as Tampa defeated New Jersey 5-3 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Here are 10 takeaways from the game:
1. Head coach John Hynes switched up his lineup going into Game 2, electing to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Damon Severson drew into the lineup, while Brian Gibbons sat out as a healthy scratch.
The lineup looked as follows:
Hall-Hischier-Palmieri
Coleman-Zajac-Noesen
Wood-Zacha-Maroon
Grabner-Boyle
Greene-Vatanen
Moore-Mueller
Butcher-Lovejoy
Severson
Kinkaid
Schneider
2. Playing with just 11 forwards gave Coach Hynes the luxury of double-shifting Taylor Hall throughout the game. Hall saw time on each line and finished the afternoon with 20:43 TOI and six shots on goal.
3. The goaltending duties were shared by Keith Kinkaid and Cory Schneider. The Devils found themselves down trailing 5-1 at 13:12 when Hynes decided to make a switch. Kinkaid made 10 saves on 15 shots before Coach John Hynes tried to shift some momentum in the Devils favor by making the change. Schneider saw playoff action for the first time as a New Jersey Devil. The last time he appeared in a post-season game was in 2013 with the Vancouver Canucks.
4. The last time the Devils made a goaltending change in a Stanley Cup playoff game was back in 2012 in Game 3, Round 1 vs. the Florida Panthers. Martin Brodeur was pulled in Game 3, Round 1 when he allowed three goals in 22:18 of play. (Credit Craig Seiden, NJD Radio Statistician)
5. Schneider finished the afternoon making 10 of 10 saves and also registered an assist. Schneider is the first New Jersey goaltender since Martin Brodeur in 2012 to record an assist in a playoff game. It was also Schneider's first point since the 2014-15 NHL season.
6. Nico Hischier continues to impress in his rookie campaign. On Saturday afternoon, Hischier had the Devils opening goal at 13:38 of the first period. His goal came with lots of traffic in front of Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy and was unassisted.
Hischier is the first Devils rookie to score a playoff goal in his first two career playoff games since Scott Gomez did so back in 2000. (Credit Craig Seiden, NJD Radio Statistician)
7. Hischier (19 years and 100 days) is the youngest player in Devils / Rockies / Scouts franchise history to score a Stanley Cup Playoffs goal. (Credit: NHL Public Relations)
8. Sami Vatanen scored the Devils second goal of the afternoon with just 25 seconds remaining in the second period. Vatanen came streaking off the blue-line to fire a laser past Vasilevskiy to cut the Lightning's lead to 5-2.
Schneider and Andy Greene assisted on the play.
9. Blake Coleman got the Devils within two goals at 11:57 when he rifled a shot from the high slot past Vasilevskiy. His first goal of the post-season was assisted on by Travis Zajac and John Moore and cut the Lightning's lead to 5-3.
10. The best-of-seven series now shifts to New Jersey, where the Devils will host the Lightning in Game 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday evening.