Devils Drop Game in Shootout to Nashville | GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ - Playing in a 1-all draw as of 8:39 of the first period, the New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators had to keep plugging away.

The next time the puck would cross the goalline was at 2:11 of the third period, jammed past Juuse Saros by Devils forward Chris Tierney. 

But it would take until the shootout for the game to come to a close, with Ryan O'Reilly scoring the lone goal of the shootout to sink New Jersey 3-2. 

"That's a big heavy team," interim head coach Travis Green said post-game, "They put a lot of pucks behind our defensemen and made them turn and go back for the puck and we grinded it out, got the lead, a goal you just get at the front, which at this time of year the goals you score are not always pretty. We got a little unlucky with the penalty again (Nemec). It's a hard-fought game. When you lose the game in a shootout, I liked the effort tonight. And we lost the game in a shootout."

Tierney broke the 1-1 draw, planted in the Nashville crease, capitalizing on Tomas Nosek picking off a loose puck to Saros' left and getting the puck on net and with 7:15 to play, Nashville's Luke Evangelista tied the game for Nashville a second time, with a power play goal after New Jersey were called for delay of game, having put the puck out of play over the glass as a Kevin Bahl penalty was expiring.

Jake Allen entered the game early in the first to replace an injured Kaapo Kahkonen in the net.

"Injuries happen, it's not always perfect, things don't always go great, but you've just go to go out there and do your best," Allen said post-game. 

Allen made 29 saves on 30 shots in regulation, including 13 in the second period alone and another two in overtime. The Predators tilted the ice in their favor in the second, keeping the Devils on their heels, but Allen came up with some highlight-reel stops and point-blank saves to set up a big third period for the two teams and pave the way for a 20-minute battle in the third period.

"That’s a good hockey team over there,” Allen said, emphasizing the Predators second and third period push. “They work and they work and they work. They don’t have the overly most skilled lineup but everyone contributes every night and that’s why they’re in the playoffs right now. Good teams are going to do that, they’re going to have momentum, it’s just the way that you can manage the momentum and get through it and try to create your own. We did that (in the second).”

After 60 minutes and a 2-2 game and unable to settle the score in overtime, the Devils went to just their second shootout of the season. 

Jack Hughes opened the scoring for New Jersey with his 27th goal of the season, a goal followed up by Nashville's Roman Josi to tie the game with just over eight minutes to play in the first.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Luke Hughes had a record-setting night, exactly one year and a day after playing his final game of college hockey with Michigan. Luke assisted on his brother's opening goal of the game at 1:49 of the first period to set a new rookie defenseman record for points scored. Hughes' assist was his 45th point of the year, surpassing the previous record set during the 2017-18 season by Will Butcher.

"I think there was a turnover and I just got the puck in the neutral zone," Hughes said, describing his assist, "I think they probably thought I was going to skate it in but I just zipped it to Jack and he did the rest. Nice shot."

Hughes has scored nine goals and 36 assists this season, his first in the National Hockey League while averaging 21:22 time on ice.

"I think I've developed really well this year," Hughes said post-game, "I've liked my game all year, keep going and keep getting better every day."

• A collision between Nico Hischier and Kaapo Kahkonen early in the first would result in Kahkonen coming out of the game on the following play. Hischier lost an edge on his skate and barreled into Kahkonen in the Devils net, where both appeared to be in some discomfort. Hischier was slow to get up, but eventually was able to skate off on his own, with the equipment staff tending to his skate on the bench. On the following play, off the faceoff dot to his right, the Predators gained possession and Roman Josi fired a shot through traffic from the blue line. As the puck escaped behind Kahkonen, he twisted around to try to retrieve the puck but froze in a crouch clearly in pain. Kahkonen was looked at by the Devils trainer and was slow to get off the ice.

Interim head coach Travis Green said that Kahkonen was injured on the Josi goal and that he is "

He did not return to play, with Jake Allen taking over in net, however, Kahkonen did rejoin his teammates on the bench for the start of the second period but did not come out for the third.

"He's not doing great right now," Green said post-game of Kahkonen's status. "We'll re-evaluate him tomorrow."

• You can put Jack Hughes' goal side-by-side with his goal two months ago against the Predators in Nashville and they are near replicas. Hughes' goal in Nashville pulled the Devils into a 1-1 draw, while Sunday night he scored the opening goal. Hughes inched his way down the wall, undeterred by his opponent and let go a lethal wrist shot from the faceoff dot, up and over Saros' shoulder.

• Shane Bowers was recalled earlier on Sunday from Utica and was in the lineup against the Predators. Bowers replaced an injured Curtis Lazar. Bowers began the game on the fourth line but was shortly bumped up to play with Ondrej Palat and Tomas Nosek, dropping Alexander Holtz down with Chris Tierney and Brian Halonen.

With the game tied at one through most of the first and second, interim head coach Travis Green relied heavily on a three-line rotation, deploying the Hischier, Haula and Nosek lines, looking to break the draw.

Tierney, Holtz and Halonen played just three shifts each in the second period.

Bowers played just over 12 minutes of ice-time. 

"He had some jump in his stride," Green said, asked about Bowers being bumped up in the lineup. "He was skating well and he was strong on the puck. This was a game that you could see, you had to be strong in puck battles if you were going to win this hockey game. That's an area we've talked a lot about with our young group and that's something you develop as you get older and stronger."

• Interim head coach Travis Green shared before the game that Lazar is likely out for the remainder of the regular season with an upper-body injury he suffered in Ottawa on Saturday night. He played nine shifts against the Senators, left mid-way through the second period, and did not return to the game.

• Defenseman John Marino missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.