Here are some observations from the game:
• Another night of self-inflicted wounds led to the Devils’ downfall. Brett Pesce made an uncharacteristically bad line change early in the game that led to an odd-man rush and the Jets’ opening goal. Johnathan Kovacevic was caught on a pinch on another. Dougie Hamilton and Paul Cotter collided with each other in the offensive zone led to yet another. The tough plays just compounded upon each other.
Hischier: "We're saying the right things and trying to focus on the right things. But somehow they still happen. We have too look ourselves in the mirror and better. We can't just say it, we have to do it, too."
• Rookie sensation Lenni Hameenaho continues to impress. He picked up his second goal of the season and first on Prudential Center ice to tie the game at 1-1 at the 8:02 mark of the first period.
Winnipeg’s Alex Iafallo had the puck at his own blue line and attempted a long lateral pass to the opposite boards. Arseny Gritsyuk got his stick on the pass and Hameenaho picked up the loose puck. He raced quickly up ice, splitting two Jets defensemen for a breakaway. After getting tight on goal he snapped a quick shot through the legs of goalie Connor Hellebuyck for the tally.
• Dougie Hamilton picked up an assist on the Devils' second period power-play goal. It extends his scoring/assist streak to nine games for 11 points (1g-10a).
• Gritsyuk is feeling it right now. He picked up an assist on Hameenaho’s first-period goal with a great defensive read and getting his stick on a pass attempt that would lead to the goal. Later in the first period, he stick handled under pressure in front of his own crease and went coast-to-coast to create a scoring opportunity. You can see his confidence is at a high level right now.
• Devils center Jack Hughes has truly excelled as a two-way center this year. His offense speaks for itself. But his defense was on display against the Jets. He saved a goal when a dumped puck caromed off the skate of goalie Jake Allen behind the net and rolled into the slot with the net vacated. Hughes reached his stick out to deny an empty-net goal for Vladislav Namestnikov, knocking the puck out of danger. On a first period PK he stripped a Jets player of the puck for a clear and twice took the puck off the stick of Logan Stanley to create two scoring chances in the final seconds of the first period.
• The Devils’ special teams continue to thrive. The penalty has killed 15 straight while the power play has connected on five of its past eight chances (.625%).
• The Devils suffered another injury setback when center Cody Glass was buckled by a heavy slap shot from Josh Morrissey. Glass fell immediately to the ice and hobbled to the bench. He went down the runway and did not finish the game.
Keefe: "Unable to finish the game. He wanted to give it a go at the end of the second. It was so close to the intermission that I didn't bother putting him out. On his little test for it, he just didn't feel good and it didn't get any better during the intermission. He'll have to get further test before we know exactly what's going on."
• Prior to the game, the Devils executed a trade with the New York Islanders shipping forward Ondrej Palat out (along with two draft picks) in exchange for Max Tsyplakov. The trade came moments before the game. Players were forced to say their quick goodbyes before hitting the ice for the start of the game.
Keefe: "It's challenging. It's not ideal. It happened so close to the game. He's there saying goodbye to all the guys. It's challenging but it's part of the business, part of the deal. You have to press on and get ready for the game. You have to be a pro in those moments. That's the reality of it."
Hischier: "Definitely not easy. Everybody in here knows what Palat meant to this team, to this organization. He's a guy that won it. He taught us a lot. A great teammate. It's never easy to see a guy go like that but we wish him all the best. We all know it's part of the business."
