Devils Offense a No Show in 2-0 Loss to Blues

Jordin Tootoo of the Devils falls to the ice in a match-up against the Saint Lois Blues on Tuesday Photo Credit: AP Photo / Julio Cortez

EAST HANOVER, NJ – Despite a rampant start for the New Jersey Devils (8-6-1), they could not figure out Saint Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen. They fired 24 shots on goal, but came up empty for the first time this season en route to a 2-0 defeat on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.

The Good – The Devils had perhaps their best first period of the season as they came out with more lively legs and had many more quality scoring chances than the Blues (11-3-1). Even when they were down by two in the third, New Jersey refused to give up hope. Their best try of the game came when Travis Zajac and Sergey Kalinin attempted to stuff the puck into the back of the cage, but it did not cross the line before the net came off it’s moorings.

Goaltender Cory Schneider had another outstanding performance. He made 26 saves on 28 shots to keep the Devils in the game throughout, as he has done in every contest he has played this season. Also, Schneider and the penalty kill did a solid job to keep the Blues off the board on two power-play tries.

The Bad – After a strong first period in which the Devils outshot their opposition 11-6, they were thoroughly outplayed by the Blues in the next two frames. In the second period, Martin Havlat converted off a pass from Scott Gomez for what ended up being the game winning goal; both players were free agents released by the Devils, just last year.

Although the Devils had many shots against Allen, there were not many quality scoring chances. The power-play did not connect on their one chance and they were out hustled and outworked by Saint Louis through much of the contest.

What’s Notable? Defenseman Damon Severson fired a hard shot on goal in the waning seconds of the third period that ended up finding the back of the net. Unfortunately for New Jersey, the puck did not cross the line before the clock struck zero.

What’s Next? In their six losses this season, the Devils have looked dominant at points. However, their biggest problem is not playing a solid 60 minutes of hockey. They will need to do that to come out on top against their next two opponents in the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams have winning records thus far.