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Devils lay an egg vs Sharks in return from the bye

February 13, 2017, 11:27 AM ET [14 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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A few notes from New Jersey's disappointing loss to San Jose:

1) From the Devils' perspective, the start of yesterday's game was pretty inexcusable.

The Devils were coming off a few days rest, were at home, and desperate for points. The Sharks were playing their second game in less than 24 hours and puck drop was early in a different time zone than the Sharks are accustomed to. All the factors were there for the Sharks to lay an egg and not many to question it.

That obviously isn't what happened, though. New Jersey scored the game's 1st goal but it took them almost 12 minutes to get a shot and the Sharks handled them convincingly for the opening 20.

By the time the Devils really settled into the game -- about mid-way through the 2nd period -- they were down 2-1 as Brent Burns decided he was going to take the game over and did just that with a pair of perfectly placed goals. The Devils couldn't solve Martin Jones the rest of the way and those Burns tallies turned out to be the difference.

It seems like whenever the Devils start to really crawl into the playoff race, they lay an egg, shoot themselves in the foot, and leave some much-needed points on the table. I don't see them making the playoffs, especially with a few of the teams around them (Florida, the Islanders, etc.) starting to play much better.

2) I thought Cory Schneider was the Devils' best player despite allowing three goals. He still managed to stop .919% of the shots he faced and made several big saves throughout the game to keep the Devils in it. The only shots that beat him were made with pinpoint accuracy through screens, sometimes from his own players. I think that's why Schneider was visibly frustrated after San Jose's third marker.

3) One positive: the penalty kill. Playing against a team with as much firepower as pretty much any team in hockey, the Devils killed off all six penalties they took, including a lengthy 5-on-3. It was a total team effort in that game state but I thought Travis Zajac was the best of the bunch down a man. He made a couple plays that potentially took goals off the board.

4) P.A. Parenteau is quietly on pace for more than 20 goals and just under 40 points. As a versatile winger carrying a cheap cap hit there should be a handful of suitors at the deadline. I don't think that Parenteau is a 2nd round pick player, however, the reported asking price for a guy like Brian Boyle is a 1st round pick(!) so you never know, especially if those goals keep piling up.

5) Damon Severson skated at least a couple shifts with four different defense partners at 5v5 and still finished with a team-high +7 shot attempt differential and was also on the ice for a team-high 10 scoring chances for.



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