Tatar Helps Devils Get a Point in Shootout Loss to Minnesota With 2 Goal Game

1st Period

44 seconds in to the game, the puck was deflected and went off the post. Lucky for the Devils. The ref mistakenly blew the whistle for a faceoff in the Devils zone.

Hamilton took a stick up high and was looking for a call, but there was none

Wood took the first penalty of the game for holding with 5 minutes played. The Wild would capitalize on the power play. Joel Eriksson Ek with a tip on a point shot that was going wide.

Gaudreau made a sliding spinaround pass across to Foligno but he lost the puck and the Devils managed to clear it out of the zone

No shots in the last 7.5 minutes for the Devils with 7.5 to go in the period.

With 4:16 left the Devils got their first power play. Kaprizov off for tripping McLeod. They got 2 chances but Gustafsson made both saves.

2nd Period

Siegenthaler is in the box for taking a hooking penalty in the last couple seconds of the first period.

Haula had a shorthanded break and Eriksson Ek grabbed his shoulder from behind, drawing a penalty. Not a clear breakaway so not a penalty shot.

Palat fed Hischier at the doorstep for a tip and somehow it stayed out. The Wild cleared the zone. Hamilton passed to Tatar whose shot was blocked. He passed in the the corner and got it back for a one timer past Gustafsson. Tie game.

Bastian and Hartman had a fight behind the Devils net following a penalty call. Bastian ran into Kaprizov on the backcheck. Doesn’t look intentional. Bastian and Hartman to the box. Nate gets the interference penalty as well, and Hartman also gets an instigator and a misconduct.

Devils are finally getting some sustained 5v5 pressure with Hischier, Palat, and Mercer. Wild cleared, but Devils come back. Boqvist caused a turnover at the blueline. He was forced wide of the net but passed back to Severson for a one timer. The puck bounced off Sam Steel and then off Tatar’s stick and in. When it was 1-0 Wild, I was waiting for a Devils forward to step up without Hughes, and today it’s Tomas Tatar with both Devils goals.

Sharangovich was dancing around and got a shot on net that was tipped. I like the Devils trying to tip pucks in. It usually works!

Momentum has shifted heavily towards the Devils since the fight

Marino made an outlet pass for a 3 on 2. Bratt centered to Boqvist but he ripped it wide.

Vanecek denied Boldy on a 2 on 1 with 2 minutes to go in the 2nd

Palat was hit hard by Dumba. Siegenthaler did not like the hit and gave him a light cross-check, which the refs called. Wild to the power play.

Sharangovich and Hischier had a shorthanded 2 on 1 and Gustafsson made a glove save on Sharangovich’s shot.

There will be 20 seconds left in the power play for the Wild to start the 3rd.

3rd Period

The Wild have been the better team for the first 5 minutes of the period, including a shift where they had the Devils hemmed in for a while. Just as I type this, the Wild score to tie the game at 2. A Dumba point shot goes off Hartman and in.

Gustafsson fought off a deflected shot.

Hartman intercepted a pass and fed Zuccarello who flew in on Vanecek, but slid the puck wide. On the next shift Kaprizov snuck in behind the Devils defense and Vanecek made a big save. The Devils went the other way and Bratt passed across the crease to Sharangovich who was stopped by Gustafsson. Two great saves on both ends.

Vanecek made two more saves on the Wild in tight.

The Devils had a 3 on 2 but Haula shot it right at Gustafsson

Hamilton and Gaudreau got tied up and the Wild fans were not happy that there was no penalty on the Devils

Bratt made a beautiful pass across to Haula but it went off his stick

The last couple minutes saw some chances for both teams, but ultimately, for the 7th time in the last 9 games, we are headed to overtime. Bill says the Devils did not have a SOG for the final 7.5 minutes

Overtime

Minnesota has possession to start. Bratt got the puck 40 seconds in for the first Devils possession of OT.

Tatar and Boldy were fighting in 1 on 1 and Tatar kept Boldy from getting a breakaway

2.5 minutes in and no SOG for either team. Boldy had it swept away by Bratt. He took a shot and regained possession. Sharangovich took a backhander and Gustafsson kept play going. Severson got the puck back from the Wild in the DZ and flipped it ahead to Sharangovich who was robbed on the breakaway. Minnesota had a 2 on 1 and Zuccarello shot it wide.

That was an eventful finish to OT. But no one scored, so to a shootout we go.

Zuccarello was first for the Wild. He went in slow, almost stopped, and went 5 hole.

Tatar is first for NJ. Gustafsson made a pad save.

Kaprizov next. Vanecek kicked it away.

Bratt had a good move but Gustafsson got the pad out to stop him.

Gaudreau 3rd for Minnesota. He came down the right and flicked a wrister short side to win it for the Wild. Devils get a point at least.

Someone Needs to Step Up

With Jack Hughes injured, someone else needs to start putting the puck in the net. Tatar was the one who stepped up today with 2 goals, but 2 goals doesn’t win you many games.

Hischier has 2 points in his last 5 games and Sharangovich has only 11 goals all season. It would be a nice time for one of them to start scoring. Especially Sharangovich - he only has 22 points. Hischier on the other hand is almost point-per-game. Mercer also only has 11 goals. He could be the one to step up. Sharangovich is shooting about career average, he is just taking less shots.

Also, while we’re on the topic of scoring goals, I think Alexander Holtz should be getting a shot over one of Haula or Wood. We need goals and those 2 aren’t scoring, or providing much of anything, really. Haula had a couple bad flubs and Wood took a dumb penalty early on leading to a PPG against. Holtz had a couple games where he actually looked like the NHL player, much better than his previous games, and for that he was sent to the shadow realm. I think he deserves a shot.

It’s about 12am now, so that’s all for tonight. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thank you for reading