FIVE THINGS: Devils Fall to the Oilers, 4-1

The New Jersey Devils dropped their Sunday evening game versus the Edmonton Oilers by a final score of 4-1.

Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, while Derek Ryan, Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid, and Evander Kane found the back of the net for Edmonton. Goaltender Akira Schmid made 26 saves on 29 shots for the Devils.

Entering the game, the Oilers scored 37 first-period goals this season, which ranked first in the NHL. A strong performance in the first 20 minutes was imperative for New Jersey, and for the most part, they held their own. Their one major blip came with 1:24 remaining. Edmonton took a 1-0 lead due to a broken play by New Jersey.

Statistically, it was an evenly matched opening frame.

The Devils struggled to generate offense in the middle frame, with only five shots on Edmonton netminder Calvin Pickard, with three coming within the final three minutes of the period. Edmonton extended their lead to 2-0 with a little over five minutes remaining, with Bouchard's one-timer getting past Schmid. The MSG Networks broadcast said it was a 99.4-mile-per-hour shot.

Schmid mishandling the puck outside his crease a little over five minutes into the third period led to Edmonton's third goal, which will go down as one of the easiest goals of McDavid's career.

"It was kind of a slow rolling puck at the end there," Schmid said. "I was trying to play it over but then got stuck. There was two guys on me so I was trying to block it and it resulted in the goal."

Less than a minute later, the Devils would respond with Bratt's 12th goal of the season. Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat earned the assists. New Jersey's hope for a comeback disappeared as Kane hit the empty net with a little over three minutes remaining, securing the 4-1 victory for his team.

With that, the Devils concluded their road trip with a record of 3-1-0.

"You go three out of four; you've got to be happy," Ruff said. "It's hard to win on the road. Hard to win in Vancouver. Played a tough game in Calgary. I think the back-to-back took some energy out of us. I thought we played a smart game tonight. A real smart first period. We walk in with a two-on-one in the first that we didn't finish. Part of the execution that I've been talking about."

1. Power Play Struggles

Entering the game, the Devils had the best power play in the league (32.6 percent). The problem was they ran into a red-hot Edmonton penalty kill. Over the Oilers' six-game-winning streak, their penalty kill was nearly perfect, clicking at 95 percent.

New Jersey had four power play opportunities at Rogers Place, and while they fired seven shots on Pickard on the man advantage, they could not convert.

"With our (power play), I think we took some energy out of our team," Ruff said.

2. Akira Schmid Takes Responsibility

The 23-year-old netminder did not have a poor performance in Edmonton. He made mistakes, including mishandling the puck ahead of McDavid's goal, but he also made some key saves.

"He made some good saves," Ruff said. "The play behind the net, that short side from behind the net that snuck in, probably a couple that he wants back, but made a huge save on Leon Draisiatl in the first period."

"We did a lot of things good. Just too many mistakes by me," Schmid said.

3. Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier Extend Point Streaks

On Sunday evening, Bratt extended his point streak to five games (four goals, three assists). He now shares the team lead in goals (12) with Tyler Toffoli.

Hischier collected the primary assist on Bratt's goal, which extended his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists). Per the media notes, it marks a season-high for the young captain.

4. Michael McLeod Continues to Make Impact

By the end of the opening frame, McLeod was a perfect 5-for-5 in the face-off circle, beating both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Devils center had the early task of defending McDavid and Draisaitl, which he did well as the former did not have a shot on goal in the first period, and the latter only had one.

It was also a family affair for McLeod, as his younger brother is a member of the Oilers. Per the media notes, "Michael McLeod faced-off with his younger brother, Ryan. It marked Michael's sixth career game against the Oilers. The two centermen went head-to-head in the face-off circle once, which Michael won in the defensive zone."

5. Erik Haula Sidelined with Upper-Body Injury

During warmups, the Devils announced Erik Haula would miss the game with an upper-body injury. After the game, Ruff was asked about the versatile veteran.

"No (further update)," Ruff said. "We knew going into the game that he was going to miss the game."