Lightning 4, Devils 3: A tough pill to swallow

The injury plagued Devils put forth a ceiling performance against the Lightning. Thanks to Vitek Vanecek, it still wasn't enough.

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A few observations from New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay

The Devils deserved better

Considering the circumstances of the game, I thought the Devils put forth one of their best efforts of the season.

Playing on the road against Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and one of the league’s most dangerous offenses is difficult at the best of times.

The Devils found themselves in such a situation with a laundry list of injuries to key contributors, including three star players in Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton. You wouldn’t have known it based on the performance the Devils brought to the table.

After a shaky few minutes to open the game, the Devils really settled in and started taking it to the Lightning.

Nico Hischier and his linemates put forth one of the best two-way efforts you’ll see all season, flipping the ice every time they touched it. Mikey McLeod looked like Jack Hughes with the puck on his stick, dancing around Lightning players and setting up chances in bulk for his linemates. He also played an extremely heavy game and was bodying Lightning players off the puck all night long. And Jesper Bratt might’ve been the most dangerous player on the ice.

That cast of characters led the way at both ends while everyone pulled their weight defensively. Top to bottom, the Devils were extremely hard on pucks. They won a lot of battles and did an excellent job of keeping the Lightning away from the middle of the ice.

The best way to slow a team down is simply by ending possessions before they really get started and regaining pucks as quickly as possible. The Devils did a terrific job of that throughout the night.

Sure, the Lightning had moments where they dug their feet in the ground for a few shifts. And, yes, the Devils helped their cause with a couple egregious turnovers.

By and large, though, a Devils team that entered the night with Brendan Smith penciled in on the top pairing – and Chris Tierney skating on the 3rd line (and 2nd power play) – was not only good, but great.

The Devils recorded 22 more shot attempts, 10 more scoring chances, and won the expected goal battle 2.45-0.92 at 5v5.

It was a legitimately dominant performance far beyond what anyone could have dreamed of from the lineup the Devils trotted out. Not getting a win out of that is harsh.

The Hischier line was humming