New Jersey Devils forwards Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves in their 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at Lenovo Center. It was the first game of a back-to-back for New Jersey.
Meier extended his point streak to three games with his 22nd goal of the season at the 17:06 mark of the first period. His linemates, Dawson Mercer and Nico Hischier, were credited with the assists.
“We are trying to work on (certain) aspects like creating more offense and getting pucks in, but as a line overall, I think we communicate pretty well, Mercer told The Hockey News before the team’s road trip. “We are on the same page. We have played a good amount of games together, so just trying to keep pushing it to make sure that we can find a way to create more offense.”
While on the power play, the Hurricanes tied the game midway through the second period. Nikolaj Ehlers scored his fifth career goal against Markstrom for a 1-1 game. Former Devil Taylor Hall drew the penalty and picked up an assist on the goal.
"There's no question that our bench sank a little bit once they scored that first goal," head coach Sheldon Keefe told NJD.TV. "And it's more so just the opponent. You know how hard it is to score. You've got the lead. You've given them life. The crowd's come alive. So it's all of that."
Before the conclusion of the middle frame, the Hurricanes added two more goals. Jackson Blake gave Carolina a 2-1 lead as Hall picked up his second point of the game. It took two minutes for Jordan Staal to extend the Hurricanes' lead to 3-1 entering the second intermission.
The Devils’ struggles continued in the third period, as Carolina added two more goals from Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis. With 22.7 seconds, Dadonov scored his first as a Devil for a final score of 5-2.
"They're not an unbeatable group," Connor Brown told NJD.TV. "I think some scars along the way from this group need to be healed. As soon as you let one in and go on your heels, that's the type of game that they prey on. So it's a big learning moment for this team. But it's certainly not unfixable. It's all between the ears, and we have the players in here to overcome that. We have a young group that's gonna continue to grow, and I think that's what it comes down to.”
The Devils will conclude their back-to-back on Sunday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Prudential Center.
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