G68 New Jersey Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Time to respond

New Jersey is 4-0 in 2023 after suffering a multi-goal defeat. Can they bounce back and get revenge against the Lightning?

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A few notes to get you set for New Jersey vs Tampa Bay:

Expect a response

The New Jersey Devils did not play well against Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. They were the better team for most of the game, in my opinion, but they still didn’t play well. It was maybe their C game.

Couple that with bad goaltending against a strong finishing team and you have a multi-goal defeat. While perhaps not deserving, hardly shocking.

One thing the Devils have been remarkably good at this year is responding. They generally haven’t lost more than one or two in a row and have done a particularly good job at rebounding following bad losses.

Excluding last time out, the Devils have suffered four multi-goal losses in 2023. The Devils came right back with a win the next game all four occasions.

They find themselves in the same situation – and against the same opponent – this time around.

Jack Hughes had two shots and was abnormally quiet on Tuesday. Timo Meier was a little off. The Nico Hischier line created next to nothing at 5v5; especially by their usual standards. And Vitek Vanecek was not good.

Point being, many of the team’s big dogs had off nights. They’ve had a couple of days to chew on it and will no doubt be looking to get revenge on home soil.

I expect them to come out with a much better effort and really show the Lightning they’re not a team to play with.

Is it finally Timo Time?

It just might be!