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POST-GAME RAW | Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine
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Devils return home after the trip to face the St. Louis Blues on March 6. Puck drop is 7:08 PM ET and you can watch the game on MSG+ or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
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"Our execution was atrocious. Our level of focus wasn't great and our execution cost us a lot of problems," said Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine after the game.
The best chance of the game early on came about six minutes in as Chandler Stephenson broke in alone and his backhand attempt rang off the post behind an outstretched Mackenzie Blackwood.
Blackwood made another big stop with 6:37 to go in the first as he denied Paul Stastny at the doorstep just by the left post.
"He let us hang around there until the third and made some great saves again that you're in awe of," Travis Zajac said of Blackwood's play. "We're not even in the game if it's not for him. He's been doing it all year, giving us a chance to get our feet wet and hang around but tonight we didn't have it."
Coach Nasreddine agreed with Zajac on the play of Blackwood.
"He was really good early. I didn't like our first at all. Second period, I thought we had some push. The power play gave us some momentum."
Shortly after that play, Connor Carrick was called for tripping, sending the Golden Knights on the game's first power play but Devils were able to kill it off.
After one, shots on goal were 11-9 for the Golden Knights.
Max Pacioretty wristed a shot from the top of the left circle over the shoulder of Blackwood to put the Knights on the board 45 seconds into the middle frame.
The first Golden Knights penalty of the game occurred near the game's midway point as Pacioretty was called for hooking. Devils had two shots on goal on the power play but were unable to score.
They had another shot with 6:12 to go in the second and Pacioretty headed back to the box, this time for holding but again Golden Knights penalty killers came up big.
"Focus wasn't there for some reason. We worked to try and climb back. Mackenzie gave us a chance but it wasn't a great performance," noted Nasreddine.
Shots on goal in the second were 11-10 for the Devils; 20-19 Devils overall in the game through 40 minutes.
William Karlsson completed a nice give-and-go with Nicolas Roy, putting the puck blocker side past Blackwood to double Vegas' lead in the third period's opening minute.
"They're the best team off the rush. We wanted to bring numbers back, take away their time of space but it was our turnovers, their counter attack. Just casual lack of assertiveness. We were chasing that whole first and they're a good team," Nasreddine remarked.
With 11:11 to go in the third, Vegas extended its lead to 3-0 after Ryan Reaves pounced on a rebound in the crease, slipping it five-hole past Blackwood.
Final shot count in the game was 32-27 for Vegas.
