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Bishop Gets Ninth Straight Win Over Devils

Ben Bishop has owned the Devils over the last several seasons. The Dallas Stars goaltender won his ninth straight against the Devils tonight as the Stars scored both of their goals within the first 11:50 of the first period to win 2-0 in Dallas. New Jersey is now winless in their last six.

First, some roster news. The Devils placed Nico Hischier (illness) on injured reserve retroactive to December 5. Michael McLeod was recalled from Binghamton but did not play. John Hayden and Colton White were the other healthy scratches.

Dallas was in a bit of a state of upheaval coming into tonight. They fired head coach Jim Montgomery earlier this morning for what management is calling “unprofessional conduct” off of the ice. No word on what exactly that is all about (if it ever really gets out), but the NHL has put teams “on notice” when it comes to things like the Bills Peters incident. Montgomery – who had coached Will Butcher and the University of Denver Pioneers to an NCAA national championship – was replaced behind the bench by veteran coach Rick Bowness.

Blake Coleman, the Plano, Texas native, was on the ice to start the game with Travis Zajac and Nikita Gusev. Unfortunately, that feel-good moment for Coleman’s 100 or so friends and family in attendance was about it for the Devils in the first period.

The first goal of the night (and what would go on as the game-winner) was scored just 1:42 into the game. It came when Andrew Cogliano passed from the near corner behind the net to Radek Faksa, who tried a wraparound and jammed it by Devils’ goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Blake Comeau had the secondary assist on the goal.

Joe Pavelski added some insurance at 11:50 when the Devils were unable to clear their zone and the Stars grabbed the puck. Following a nifty backhand pass to Alexander Radulov, he shot on net and Roope Hintz jammed at it along with Pavelski on a goalmouth scramble. The puck went in and the Stars had the 2-0 lead.

Dallas outshot the Devils 16-2 in the first period and there is some history there. According to MSG Network’s Steve Cangialosi, that was the same shot disparity the last time these two teams met at American Airlines Center. That game came on January 2, 2019 and saw the Stars outshoot New Jersey 16-2 in the first period of that game. The Devils came back to outshoot the Stars 16-7 in the third period, after being outshot 12-8 in the second.

Those two goals were all Dallas needed as aside from Denis Gurianov hitting the crossbar early in the second, Blackwood shut the door and played very well.

He ended the night with 33 saves on 35 shots for a .943 save percentage and was the game’s third star in an opposing building. For Dallas, Bishop stopped all 26 Devils shots to record the Stars’ first shutout of the season. He was named the game’s first star of the night. Faksa was the second.

Blackwood was pulled with about 2:40 remaining in regulation, but a Sami Vatanen tripping penalty – to save a sure empty net goal by Cogliano – ended up putting Dallas on the power play to end the game and negate the extra attacker for the Devils.

On the power play, the Stars were 0-for-5 as the Devils played a very good PK game. Blackwood stopped all five Dallas power play shots. The Devils were 0-for-3 with seven shots. New Jersey also peppered Bishop with six shorthanded shots.

One penalty that was not called was a very late high-stick on Coleman that drew blood. The stick came up very close to Coleman’s eye, but neither a two minute nor four minute penalty was assessed on the play. The play came while the Devils were killing off the Vatanen penalty late in the third.

Overall, the Devils won a paltry 33-percent of the game’s faceoffs. They outhit Dallas 26-20, had more blocked shots at 28-8 and more giveaways at 14 to the Stars’ 11.

Time on ice leader was Damon Severson with 24:37 total (including 16 seconds on the power play and 5:26 on the penalty kill). The forwards were led by Pavel Zacha, who logged 16:52 (including 2:53 on the PP and 2:45 shorthanded).

Stats-wise, shots were led by Coleman and PK Subban with four each. Hits were led by Subban (who had a rough game otherwise – not able to stay out of the penalty box) with five. Blocks were led by Andy Greene with seven and takeaways by Severson with two.

Next up, the Devils will go to Denver to take on the Avalanche on Friday. This is another game against a very good Western Conference team. Puck drop for that game is 9 PM ET and we will have a recap for you right here later that evening.

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Devils Fall in Music City

For PK Subban, tonight was a homecoming of sorts. He received the, now ubiquitous, tribute video on the videoboard during the first TV timeout of the game, acknowledging the crowd and their standing ovation. But, as he told Erika Wachter on the MSG pregame show, it would be all for nothing if the Devils lost. Unfortunately, they lost to remain winless in the last five, falling to the Nashville Predators 6-4 at Bridgestone Arena.

Nico Hischier remained out as he is battling an illness still. The update on Sami Vatanen is that he played after taking a puck to the face late in last night’s game versus Chicago. Colton White and John Hayden were the Devils’ healthy scratches.

In addition to Subban returning to Nashville, Wayne Simmonds was also returning to the Music City, although he did not spend as much time there as Subban did.

The Devils were on the backend of a back-to-back while the Preds had not played since last Tuesday, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home.

The Predators came out swinging in this one. Just 46 seconds into the game, Daniel Carr scored his first of the season when he tipped a Dan Hamhuis shot from the point by Devils starting goalie Louis Domingue.

Nashville would waste no time in doubling their lead either. At the 2:13 mark of the first, Dante Fabbro scored when Nick Bonino made a slick move around a Devils defender and then dished to Fabbro, who scored from the near faceoff circle. Craig Smith had the secondary assist.

But from there, the Devils made the comeback in a remarkable first four minutes of the game. Jesper Bratt scored at 2:45 when Vatanen, at the point, got it to Pavel Zacha at the halfwall. He passed to a trailing Bratt, who fired the pass by Nashville starting goaltender Pekka Rinne to cut the Preds’ lead in half at 2-1.

Then the full comeback at 3:59 when Blake Coleman worked along the wall, getting the puck to Nikita Gusev. He passed to Travis Zajac on the doorstep. Rinne read the play wrong and was actually falling backwards as Zajac put the puck under him and in to tie the game at two apiece.

Four goals in just under four minutes, the first time it has happened involving the Devils since February 9, 1993 against the Red Wings according to MSG.

The second period saw the Predators build up another two goal lead beginning at the 5:52 mark when Yakov Trenin scored his first NHL goal. Rocco Grimaldi had beaten the Devils in on the forecheck and grabbed the puck, he got it to Trenin, who shot. The shot would have actually gone wide of the net had it not hit a Devils’ skate in front and gone in. It was now 3-2 Nashville.

It became 4-2 at the 7:23 mark when Filip Forsberg scored. The Predators won a faceoff in the Devils’ zone and got the puck back to Roman Josi at the point. He shot and there was a scramble in front. Calle Jarnkrok touched it and Forsberg put it home with Jarnkrok getting the primary assist.

But the Devils would climb back into things again beginning when Coleman drew a tripping penalty from Forsberg while on a partial breakaway at 12:15. On the ensuing power play, Kyle Palmieri would score. At 13:07, Vatanen got the puck from the point down to Taylor Hall at the near halfwall. He passed into the slot to Palmieri, who one-timed it by Rinne to make it 4-3

The Devils ended the night 1-for-4 on the power play on a positive note. They had four power play shots and one shorthanded shot. Nashville was 0-for-6 on the man advantage with four shots as well as a pair of shots down a man.

Early in the third period, Coleman blocked a shot and left the game injured, but did return and should be set to go on Tuesday in Dallas, his hometown.

The Predators would again go up by two at 5:47 of the third when Bonino scored. Bonino shot from a weird angle, from just above the goal line, beating Domingue top shelf. Fabbro and Mattias Ekholm had the assists on the goal that made it 5-3.

But the Devils just kept hanging in. At 11:09, Jack Hughes lost the puck to a Nashville defender, then took it back. He got it on net and Hall was right there to poke home the rebound. The Devils had climbed back in to make it 5-4.

But Nashville put the final nail in their coffin when Grimaldi scored at 12:44 of the third. Grimaldi poked it free from Subban at the Preds’ blue line and was off on a breakaway, He converted to make it 6-4.

The Devils would pull Domingue with about 2:45 left in regulation, but a too many men on the ice bench minor put the kibosh on the extra attacker.

The last four meetings between these two teams at Bridgestone Arena had gone to overtime, with the Devils winning three of the four. But not tonight. Nashville pulled out the 6-4 victory.

The Devils won only 46-percent of the game’s faceoffs, had 11 hits to the Preds’ nine. The teams were even in shots blocked with 13 each and giveaways with 11 each.

Damon Severson led all New Jersey skaters with 23:11 of ice time (including 3:22 shorthanded) while Zajac led the forwards with 19:05 (3:45 on the PK included).

Shots were led by Coleman with seven. Coleman also led in the hits category with three. Blocked shots saw Vatanen and Subban lead with three each. Zajac had three takeaways to lead in that column.

As mentioned, the Devils will be off to Dallas on Tuesday to take on the Stars. The Stars are a very good team and I would be extremely surprised if this is where the Devils’ winless streak comes to an end. But stranger things have happened and we will have coverage for you right here following the game, which has an 8:30 PM ET puckdrop.