GAME STORY: Penguins 2, Devils 1
Devils fall 2-1 to the Penguins, despite outshooting them 36-22.
by Sara Giles saratgiles / NewJerseyDevils.com
BUFFALO, NY -- The New Jersey Devils dropped game two of the Prospects Challenge tournament in Buffalo Saturday afternoon, despite outshooting the Pittsburgh Penguins 36-22.
Graeme Clarke got the offense going for the Devils with a quick wrist shot to put the Devils up 1-0 early in the first frame. The power-play goal was the first of the tournament for Clarke and assisted by Jesper Boqvist.
Video: HIGHLIGHT | Clarke Goal vs. PIT
The goal was a nice first of the tournament for Graeme Clarke, but he would have rather the team get a win over the Penguins today.
"It was nice to get the goal but I would have wanted the win for sure," said Clarke.
For today's game, Binghatom head coach Mark Dennehy moved Graeme Clarke from the left-wing to the right-wing and noticed a jump in his game today.
"He's got a skill set about him, I thought he played with poise. I thought you were able to see his skills, especially on the power play. He's got a lot of poise for a young player," said Dennehy.
Video: POST-GAME RAW | Mark Dennehy
Pittsburgh soon tied the game at one with a goal at 8:18 of the first period from Jan Drozg, assisted by Chase Berger. The game remained tied 1-1 until 4:12 of the second period when Pittsburgh took their first lead of the game with a goal from Anthony Angello, assisted by Sam Lafferty and Sam Miletic.
The Devils had two chances on the power play during the second period but did not add to the scoreboard, despite leading the Penguins 21-12 in shots through two periods. Devils left-wing Nicholas Canade dropped the gloves late in the second period with Pittsburgh's Brandon Hawkins, both getting matching fighting penalties.
The Devils opened the final frame on the penalty kill as Jesper Boqvist was called for holding :24 seconds into the third. New Jersey successfully killed the penalty and went 4/4 on the penalty kill against Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon. The Devils had a scoring chance early in the third with a two-man advantage on the power-play but did not capitalize.
Akira Schmid was strong in net for the Devils on Saturday afternoon, stopping 20 of 22 shots on goal. Pittsburgh's Alex D'Orio saved 35 of 36 shots in the win for the Penguins.
Jack Hughes did not play in today's game but is expected to play in Monday's game against the Boston Bruins. The Devils will face off against the Bruins at 9:30 AM at Harborcenter in Buffalo. The game will be streamed on the Devils social media platforms, YouTube, and the website.