NEWARK, NJ - The New Jersey Devils put up a solid fight against the number one team in the league, the Florida Panthers, on home ice under the direction of interim head coach Travis Green despite losing 5-3.
Like most games this season, the Panthers scored early on as they found the back of the net in the opening minutes. Soon after that, they found themselves up 2-0. The Devils never seemed out of the game as they kept pushing, which resulted in Jack Hughes scoring one on the powerplay.
The Panthers were still up 2-1 as the second period started, but the Devils were playing good hockey. About halfway through the period, Timo Meier scored a gritty goal after he pushed his way through two defenders. Meier now has seven points in his last seven games. It seemed like the Devils would have the momentum after tying the score 2-2, but just over a minute later, the Panthers would go up 3-2 and end the period like that.
The third period consisted of more goals as the Panthers added one early on, but the Devils were able to get one back, courtesy of a blast from the blueliner Colin Miller. At this point in the game, it was 4-3 with a little less than half the period left. The Devils continued to play smart hockey and got chances but were never able to tie it up. The Panthers added the empty net with 0:08 remaining in the period to make the final score 5-3.
The Devils were playing more intelligent hockey under Green, but one of the Devils' main issues this season is the inconsistency. It will take a few games to see how well the Devils indeed react to the new coaching style, but from one game, it appears to be better already. The energy and effort from the team were there the entire game despite going down early. They were winning battles along the wall, connecting passes, finishing checks, and looking like a more confident team.
They went on the power play for the third time on the night but had shots and good movement despite not scoring on all three. With Green becoming the head coach, the power play was handed over to Chris Taylor to finish out the season.
Green shook things up a bit during the game as he brought out new lines. The new head coach showed he is not afraid to have a star-studded first line. At times, his first line consisted of Hughes and Jesper Bratt playing on Nico Hischier’s wings. At the beginning of the game, Hughes was playing on Haula’s wing, along with Toffoli on the other wing. Green switched Hughes and Meier in the third period.
Both of these lines seemed to work, as each of these lines had an impact on the game tonight.
One questionable lineup change was the scratching of rookie defenseman Simon Nemec. Green knows he will make his way back into the lineup, but recently, his game has dipped since he was initially called up to the team. Nemec and Green agreed this is just a part of being a rookie defenseman, and Nemec knows this is not a punishment.
Regardless of the score, the Devils played a well-fought game against the league’s best team. They were never truly out of the game, as anything could have happened in the last few minutes.
The Devils' remaining schedule will not get any easier as they take on the St. Louis Blues on Thursday on home ice at 7 p.m.
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