NEWARK, NJ — The Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils resumed their NHL seasons on Saturday, after a two week layoff, due to the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Devils 31-20-6 (68 points) won their last game before the break against the Montreal Canadians 4-0 and were 5-5 in their previous 10 games. The Stars 35-18-2 (72 points) won their previous game 8-3 against the San Jose Sharks and were 7-2-1 last 10 games. This was an evenly matched affair with both teams in playoff position and separated by four points.
Over the past 10 days, the Devils had Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt representing their countries in the 4 Nations Face-Off, as the Stars were represented by Roope Hintz and Thomas Harley.
Image Credit: NHL
Latino Sports asked Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe postgame, if he noticed any difference between the players that participated in the 4 Nations opposed to those that didn’t.
“I thought Jack clearly had legs… I think it’s a combination of the two Jesper was also riding that wave of playing at such a high level,” he said.
“The game felt fast maybe because I haven’t coached in a while. It doesn’t always look like that high speed with skating and the movement of the puck in the NHL.”
Keefe, proud of his team’s effort in the 4-2 loss, thought they played effectively and complimentary as a unit.
Hughes did everything he could to erase a tough 2-0 start that took the crowd of 16,514 people at Prudential Center out of the game early. The Stars struck three minutes and 58 seconds into the first period, when right wing Evgenni Dadonov scored his 16th goal of the season on Devils backup goalie Jake Allen, who replaced the team’s starter Jacob Markstrom due to a sprained MCL.
The Stars got their second goal less than two minutes later on a power play goal from Harley, which was his 10th goal of the season. Devils defenseman Brendan Dillon took the penalty with unsportsmanlike conduct. The game remained 2-0 going into the second period.
Image Credit: NHL
It was a remarkable performance for Stars goalie Casey DeSmith through two periods, as he stopped all 23 shots he saw through the first two frames. The Devils were left searching for answers in the locker room before the third period.
On the other hand, the defense and goaltending hung tough for the Devils after the early goals. This gave the offense a chance to stay in the game. Hughes rewarded them with a power play goal and his 25th goal of the season, which cut the lead to 2-1 with 10 minutes left in the third period. Stars center Logan Stankoven committed a holding penalty to allow the man advantage.
This changed the mood of the crowd as the Prudential Center began to rock, but was short-lived due to the Stars scoring 35 seconds later with center Matt Duchene’s 23rd goal of the season.
Hughes answered back again with his 26th goal of the year to get the crowd reengaged down 3-2 with 8:20 left in the game.
Image Credit: NHL
Moreover, it was a battle all the way until the end with the Devils’ goalie pulled and a power play with 44 seconds left. New Jersey couldn’t get it done and their spirits were finally broken with eight seconds left, when Stars center Wyatt Johnson scored his 17th goal of the season into the empty net.
Less than 24 hours later, the Devils rebounded nicely with a 5-0 Sunday route over the Nashville Predators on the road at Bridgestone Arena.
New Jersey is 32-21-6 with 70 points on the season, which puts them in a tie for second place in the Atlantic Division. This gives them an eight point cushion for the final playoff spot with 23 games left to play.
Image Credit: NHL
The Devils’ next game is this coming Wednesday, February 26 against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver at Ball Arena at 9:30 p.m EST — television coverage on ESPN+.
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