For the second time in as many games the New Jersey Devils were thoroughly dominated by an Eastern Conference team in possession of a playoff spot.
The difference this time around is the Devils were on the wrong end of the final result as, despite Keith Kinkaid's best efforts, they eventually fell 3-2 to the Florida Panthers.
The Good
- Keith Kinkaid was once again excellent and (somehow) managed to keep the Devils in a game they had no business being in. Though Kinkaid probably wants the 2nd Florida goal back he was certainly not at fault in the loss as he stopped 37-40 (.925SV%) and looked good doing it.
Kinkaid faced 80 shots in the last two games and stopped 76 of them. That's Cory Schneider-level efficiency, which is impressive given the rough couple weeks Kinkaid had prior to these starts.
- Blake Pietila scoring his 1st career NHL goal. It didn't much matter (there were only five seconds left) but Pietila will never forget that moment.
- Kyle Palmieri had nine shots on goal. Nine!
- The Bobby Farnham - Stephen Gionta - Tyler Kennedy line wasn't negative in possession. No other line or defense pairing on the Devils came out 50% or better.
- There's only four more games left in the season. With the games holding no meaning (in terms of standings) and so many regulars banged up and out of the lineup the Devils are getting caved in a nightly basis. It's getting tough to watch.
The Bad
- A Devils team that takes pride in stingy defense and being tough to play against was once again caved in from start to finish. They were out shot 40-25, out attempted 65-38 and out chanced 34-11. The score doesn't reflect the thorough beat down they were on the wrong end of.
The Devils have been outshot 80-40 and out chanced 60-24 over their last two games.
- Shot attempts were 23-6 Panthers at 5 v 5 with the Huberdeau - Barkov - Jagr line on the ice. That trio combined for two goals and five points, too. The Devils had no answer for them.
- Reid Boucher, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac and Joseph Blandisi all played at least 17 minutes and they combined for one shot on goal. The Devils aren't a deep team at the best of times so if their top offensive players don't produce...well, we've seen what happens.
Stat Of The Game
Jaromir Jagr recorded a pair of assists giving him his 60th and 61st point on the year. He has reached the 60 point plateau 18 times(!) in his career.
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