Devils Come Up Short to Mammoth | GAME STORY

NEWARK, N.J. - The Devils knew before the puck dropped that special teams could very well decide their matchup with the Utah Mammoth.

Unfortunately for New Jersey, that proved true.

The Devils handed a 5-3 loss from the Mammoth.

But it wasn’t the only difference in a game where the Devils continually found ways to stay within striking distance, only to come up just short.

New Jersey had its opportunities throughout the night, including four chances on the power play, but Utah was able to make more of its own. The Mammoth went 2-for-4 with the man advantage, while the Devils finished 1-for-5.

Luke Evangelista scored twice and Jesper Boqvist added his first goal of the season for the Devils. 

Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz converted on Utah’s power play, while MacKenzie Weegar,  Schmaltz and Vincent Trochek scored at even strength.

The Devils also spent too much of the night playing from behind. Each time New Jersey found a way to close the gap, Utah forced them back into chase mode.

It’s a difficult way to play over the course of 60 minutes. The Devils never let the game get completely away from them, but constantly having to manufacture a response left little room for error. They kept pulling themselves back within striking distance, but never found that extra goal

Here are some observations from the game:

• After 10 straight goalless power plays to start the season, newcomer Luke Evangelista broke through on a 5-on-3 opportunity in the first period. Evangelista tied the game, 1-1, with his first goal of the season. 

Jesper Bratt picked up the secondary assist on Evangelista's goal for his 520th career point to tie him with Kirk Muller for the fourth all-time in franchise history. 

The assist was also the 348th of Bratt’s career with the Devils, tying him with Travis Zajac for fifth all-time in franchise history.

• Entering the third period down 4-2, head coach Sheldon Keefe did a bit of line juggling, elevating Arseny Gritsyuk to play with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, while Anthony Mantha moved down to play with Evan Rodrigues and Dawson Mercer. 

• Mackenzie Weegar's second period goal was the Mammoth's second of the night, it marked the first time in Utah's history that they've scored more than a single goal against New Jersey. 

• Jesper Boqvist made his season debut. Boqvist had last played a game for the Devils on April 13, 2023, then making stops with Boston and Florida before returning to New Jersey this past off season. 

• The next start for Jake Allen is a major milestone. Allen played his 499th NHL game on Tuesday night, putting him one away from No. 500, a benchmark for goaltenders often viewed as the equivalent of 1,000 games for a skater. Given the demands of the position and how difficult it is to establish that kind of longevity in net, reaching 500 is reserved for a relatively small group of NHL goaltenders. 

Only 84 goaltenders in NHL history have played 500-or more games.