Sharks blank Devils at The Rock

In the second game of a back-to-back, the New Jersey Devils dropped their contest with the San Jose Sharks at The Rock, 3-0. The Devils were coming off an overtime win in Ottawa on Thursday night, and now head into a break where they don't play again until next Friday.

1. Keith Kinkaid started in net for New Jersey and was backed up by Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood was called up earlier in the day because Cory Schneider was ruled out and unable to sit on the bench. Schneider left Thursday's contest against the Senators with a lower-body injury, and did not play the third period. He will continue to be evaluated early next week before taking part in practice with his teammates.
   Tweet from @NJDevils: �� @Blockaid1 leads the #NJDevils back onto the ice as the second period gets underway on MSG +! #SJSvsNJD pic.twitter.com/pIlWcCBGDY
   2. Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri wore the "A"s on their jerseys. A rotation of players have been wearing them through the course of the early season.
   3. This was the first meeting against a Pacific Division opponent this season, and second against a Western Conference team. New Jersey is 1-1-0 against the West this year.
   4. Mirco Mueller nearly had the opening goal for the Devils during a first period penalty kill. The defensemen hit the post off a slap shot from the left point. Mueller was facing his former team for the first time, after being traded to the Devils from the Sharks this past offseason. Mueller's shot that dinged off the post wouldn't be the only one of the first period. Moments after San Jose goalie Martin Jones robbed Drew Stafford in the slot, Blake Coleman's backhandercleanly beat Jones but rang off the left post.
   5. New Jersey gave up the first goal of the game late in the first period. Melker Karlsson put San Jose on the board on a shot from the left post that went top shelf at 14:11 of the first. It was the fourth time in eight occasions that the Devils conceded the first goal of the game. They now have a 2-2-0 record when giving up the first goal.
   6. Adam Henrique almost scored his third goal of the season when he backhanded a shot past Jones early in the second period. The shot beat Jones and trickled through his pads but hit the left post before San Jose's Tim Heed cleared it out of the way. See the shot here:

7. New Jersey's penalty kill was one of their strongest assets on Friday night. The Devils killed off 100 percent of the Sharks' man-advantage opportunities, including a second period double minor to Miles Wood for high-sticking. The Sharks went 0 for 5 on the power play.
   8. New Jersey had five separate occasions where they were handed a man advantage against the Sharks. They could not capitalize on any of their opportunities going 0-5 on the power play.
   9. This was the first time in the 2017-18 NHL season that the Devils were shut out by their opponent.
   10. The Devils won't play again until next Friday, October 27, when they host the Ottawa Senators at Prudential Center.
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