Lichtenstein: Though Inches From Disaster, Devils Hold On In Detroit
By Steve Lichtenstein
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According to hockey legend, the three-goal lead is considered the most dangerous of all.
The theory goes that those in the mix on the ice can subconsciously believe that it's too big a cushion to blow, despite plenty of past examples that should have proved that notion to be a fallacy.
With a three-goal lead, teams often scale back the attack, prioritizing positional play over aggression, even though unpredictable bounces of the puck can alter momentum in an instant. And when the unthinkable does happen, the consequences are demoralizing.
The Devils were oh-so-close to needing a group therapy session in their first game following the All-Star break on Tuesday night.
The Red Wings, who entered the game tied with the Devils for last place in the wild Eastern Conference, cut a 4-1 third-period deficit to a single goal with over four minutes remaining and were then rewarded with a power play with 2:16 left.
The Devils, with some assistance from the bumbling Red Wings, killed off the penalty to Kyle Palmieri without allowing a shot on goal, even after Detroit pulled goalie Jared Coreau for an extra attacker with a minute to go. However, the puck somehow found its way to the front of the net in the closing seconds, where Detroit center Riley Sheahan was left alone. With the game in the balance, Sheahan spun around and tested New Jersey goalie Corey Schneider with a low shot.
Schneider got his right pad down to make the save, and defenseman Ben Lovejoy tied up Detroit's Thomas Vanek just enough so that Schneider could get over to the right post and deflect the backhand rebound attempt just wide of the net.
The Devils were inches from an epic disaster, but in the end, "old reliables" Schneider, Palmieri and Adam Henrique helped them escape from Detroit with the two points.
Palmieri scored twice, including his first career short-hander ("Never anywhere close in my whole life," Palmieri said to Andrew Gross of the Record after the game) and Henrique buried the game-winner on a breakaway midway through the third period, also while New Jersey was a man down. The last time the Devils netted two shorthanded goals in a game was in December 2011.
That happened to be the season in which the Devils last qualified for the playoffs. While Tuesday's victory cut Philadelphia's lead for the East's second wild card berth to "only" five points, the Devils still have a steep uphill climb to jump over five teams, three of whom hold multiple games in hand, in order to end their postseason drought.
They certainly won't get there without more from Palmieri and Henrique, who each registered 30 goals last season but are both barely on pace to reach the 20-goal mark this season. They will also need more bailouts from Schneider, who has been unusually inconsistent this campaign.
Equal parts inconsistent and odd have been the Devils' penalty kill units. They were superlative not only in Tuesday's waning minutes but also during a five-on-three disadvantage for 1:16 of the second period, but they must replicate their road success when the Devils return to the Prudential Center on Friday for the first of nine of 11 February games at home. The third-best road penalty killers (88.5 percent) are last in the league on home ice (71 percent).
Getting back captain Andy Greene, who has missed the Devils' last 12 games with a hand injury, should bolster the defense in all situations. Coach John Hynes indicated that Friday's game against Calgary could mark Greene's return.
Without Greene (and concussed defenseman John Moore), the Devils have been stitching their back line with duct tape. Jon Merrill went from a healthy scratch candidate to the top pairing with Lovejoy. A minus machine in the past, Merrill was a plus-4 in January. Two Albany call-ups, Steven Santini and Karl Stollery, have been eating minutes as the third pairing.
You would think that coughing up leads would be a regular occurrence given the Devils' dire straits on defense. However, New Jersey went 5-0-2 in games it led after two periods in January. And while the Devils have twice come back to win from three goals down this season (versus Toronto and Nashville), they are now 7-for-7 when owning one.
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