Devils Conclude Road Trip With 3-1 Loss to Golden Knights

The Devils conclude their four-game road trip with a record of 1-3-0.

Luck was not on the New Jersey Devils side on Sunday afternoon.

The club lost a hard-fought battle against the Vegas Golden Knights at The Fortress, 3-1. Devils goaltender Jake Allen played exceptionally well in his second start. Unfortunately, his team did not provide the goal support he needed.

Less than two minutes into the game, Dawson Mercer put the puck past opposing netminder Logan Thompson. The play was initially reviewed for a distinct kicking motion. After review, it was determined there was no kicking motion, and it was a good goal.

The Golden Knights' coaching staff immediately challenged for goaltender interference. It was determined Timo Meier interfered with Thompson, and the goal was waived off.

After 20 minutes, Allen made 13 saves on 13 shots. Vegas outshot New Jersey 13-7. The score was deadlocked at 0-0 as the teams skated to their respective locker rooms for the first intermission.

The Golden Knights fired 10 shots on Allen in the middle frame, but the veteran remained perfect stopping every shot faced. Per MSGN's Leo Scaglione Jr., since allowing two goals on the first three shots he faced with New Jersey, Allen has made 57 consecutive saves.

After 40 minutes, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0. Meier led all Devils skaters with three shots on goal.

A mere 38 seconds into the third period, Nico Hischier gave the Devils a 1-0 lead. It was unassisted. The young captain has goals in back-to-back games against Vegas. It marked Hischier's 22nd goal of the season, tying him with Jesper Bratt for the team lead.

Two minutes later, the Golden Knights tied things up. William Carrier deflected the puck past Allen. Defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin collected the helpers.

With 8:54 remaining in the final frame, Jack Eichel beat Allen on his sixth shot of the afternoon. Hanifin collected his second assist. Per the TNT broadcast, Vegas entered the game with a record of 14-3-1 when Eichel scored a goal in a game this season.

William Karlsson hit the empty net to secure Vegas' 3-1 victory over New Jersey. Allen made 34 saves on 36 shots for a .944 save percentage.

UP NEXT: The Devils will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, March 19.

LINES:

Jack Hughes - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt

Timo Meier - Curtis Lazar - Dawson Mercer

Ondrej Palat - Erik Haula - Alexander Holtz

Kurtis MacDermid - Chris Tierney - Tomas Nosek

Kevin Bahl - John Marino

Luke Hughes - Nick DeSimone

Brendan Smith - Simon Nemec

Jake Allen

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