Here are some observations from the game:
• Stay tuned after the final buzzer!
• The Devils owned the opening four or so minutes of the game. They even got forward Timo Meier on net for a clear breakaway. His shot beat Pens goalie Stu Skinner under the glove and above the pad. But he didn’t beat the goal post. Meier rang it off and minutes later Pittsburgh would score the game’s opening goal.
Allen: "We had a good first five minutes, but after that, we were on our heels the rest of that period. They haven't played in four days, so sometimes those legs are a little bit behind you. We had our looks there, and then they showed why they're in a playoff spot, where they are."
• Death. Taxes. Paul Cotter on a breakaway. The Devils evened the score, 1-1, after Dougie Hamilton’s flip pass landed on the stick of Cotter for a breakaway. He went forehand-backhand and tucked the puck around the leg pad of Skinner and just inside the far post for the goal.
Cotter: "I thought we did a pretty good job of coming back. I think our team has done a really good job of that lately. You could call it hanging in there, but getting to our game pretty quickly, and they have a franchise over there that's been good for a very long time. So, it's going to be hard to, if they get the lead like that, to try and come back and take control. But I thought we tried to do that as good as possible."
• The Pens took control of the game halfway through the second period when they scored two goals in a nine-second span. Tommy Novak gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 advantage before Egor Chinakov made it 3-1 less than 10 seconds later.
• Jack Hughes continues his assault on the NHL post-Olympics. He scored his 26th goal of the season – to tie (Nico Hischier) for the team lead – to pick up his 37th point (14g-23a) in 22 games since the League’s return to play.
