Devils center Jack Hughes returned to the lineup for the first time in six weeks, but his return was ruined by San Jose, which skated away with a 5-2 victory Tuesday night at Prudential Center.
The Devils fell behind 4-0 after two periods, but managed to score twice in the third period on goals by Tomas Tatar and Jesper Bratt.
The Sharks were led by Timo Meier's two goals, with additional tallies from Noah Gregor, Jacob Middleton and Erik Karlsson.
Hughes' Return is Spoiled by Sharks | GAME STORY
New Jersey fell behind 4-0 before eventually falling 5-2 to the San Jose Sharks
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The Devils finish their season-opening homestand against the Calgary Flames next Tuesday. The game can be seen on MSG+ and heard on the Devils Hockey Network, including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. ET.
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Here are some observations from the game...
- The game aside, the real news heading into the action was the return of Jack Hughes. He was back in the lineup for the Devils after missing the previous 17 games due to a left dislocated shoulder. To ease his transition back into game action, the Devils started him at wing so he wouldn't have to worry about the usual defensive responsibilities of center or winning faceoffs. However, by the third period he was back with his old buddies Janne Kuokkanen and Yegor Sharangovich.
Hughes tried to temper expectations this morning, saying he was focused on just taking it period by period. That's exactly what he did, trying to work his way back into game shape and up to speed throughout the 60 minutes. There were certainly some flashes, like his presence on the power play, but overall it was what should have been expected from a guy that hasn't played since Oct. 19. Hughes will get better with each game.
"In terms of my game, it felt pretty good," Hughes said. "There are a few things I need to sharpen up in my game. … That's my first game back but it's a wake-up call for myself and the team."
- The Johnsson-Mercer-Bratt line continues to just dominate. Late in the third period, Andreas Johnsson took a shot in the offensive zone and appeared shaken up. He fought his way to the defensive zone on a backcheck before getting the puck up ice to a streaking Bratt. The fleet-footed forward snapped off a long-range shot that ticketed the corner. It was a great shot by Bratt. But the guts by Johnsson to fight through the pain is really what created that goal. - If there was one major positive to take away from the game, it's that Tomas Tatar got another goal under his belt. It's been a tough season for Tatar, who is used to contributing offensively. Tatar drove to the net and batted an airborne rebound off a Pavel Zacha shot. That's how he has to score, at the net and using his skills to finish opportunities. Tatar has the skill to score in the perimeter, but when you're struggling, crashing the net has to be your priority. Tatar was rewarded for that tonight with his fourth of the season.
"We need that. We brought him in to help score goals," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "That goals an indication of where we need to get to. We need to get inside."
- If there was one linear correlation between most of the San Jose goals, it was east-west passing through the middle. In fact, the goals by Middleton, Meier and Karlsson all were scored on cross-ice pass plays. Middleton sneaked into the backdoor to roof a shot. Meier took advantage of miscommunication on coverage by the Devils PK unit to tally a power-play goal. And Karlsson managed to collect a pass at the side of the crease on a clean feed from Alexander Barabanov before netting his goal. The Devils needed to do a better job of taking away the middle, and the Sharks made them pay.
"We didn't get to the right spot. Our puck play in general wasn't good," Ruff said. "Our attention to coming back and playing sound defense hurt us. They made some mistakes and we let some good offensive opportunities slip away, and the ones they made they took advantage of."
- The Devils best faceoff man, and third best in the NHL entering the game at 61 percent, is Michael McLeod. So logically it was a lost faceoff by McLeod that led to the Sharks first goal. That's how it goes in hockey sometimes.
