Power Play Fails Devils in Game 1 Loss | COLUMN

The Devils had a golden opportunity just 75 seconds following puck drop of their Game 1 First Round matchup against New York after the Rangers' Vincent Trocheck took a tripping penalty.
The Devils failed to score on the ensuing power play. They also failed to produce a shot.
After the Rangers took a 1-0 lead on Vladimir Tarasenko's opening goal, New Jersey got another power-play opportunity at 6:09 of the first.
Once again, the Devils failed to score on the ensuing power play. Once again, they also failed to produce a shot.
Trailing 2-0 in the final 80 seconds of the first period, the Devils would get their third man-advantage chance.
Once again, the Devils failed to score on the ensuing power play. Once again, they also failed to produce a shot.
The Devils power play would finish the night 0 for 4 with zero shots on goal as they fell, 5-1, Tuesday night at Prudential Center.

"We didn't score and then they quickly after got that first one," said forward Erik Haula, who works on the second power play unit. "If we get a goal there on the power play to start the game, you never know how it's going to turn out, get the crowd going and everyone is more confident. It didn't work that way today."
Part of the problem with the early power-play chances was the fact that the Devils were playing with some anxious energy as many on the roster were either making their postseason debuts or playing for the first time in five years.
"In the first 10 minutes when you get two power plays and we don't execute, I thought we had the jitters," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "We didn't handle the puck well. We had three or four shot attempts where we missed the net by a large margin, shots I feel we could have gotten on net."
Shots wide were one problem. The Rangers players collapsing to the net was another. New York blocked 23 shots in the game. All the Devils' attempted shots either missed the goal or hit Rangers bodies instead of finding their way to goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
"We just have to put more pucks on the net," captain Nico Hischier said. "Props to them. They blocked a lot of shots. Shesterkin made some huge saves."
The Devils will certainly make their adjustments ahead of Game 2 Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. But generating power-play shots will certainly be high on the list.
"I feel like we'd like to take more pucks to the net, deliver more pucks, create more traffic," Haula said. "Maybe we were a little bit on the outside, especially my unit."
At the other end of the ice, the Rangers converted two of their three man-advantage chances with Chris Kreider picking up both goals. New Jersey finished a minus-2 in the special teams category.
"We had our chances. They had their chances," defenseman Ryan Graves said. "They scored on theirs. We didn't.
"You really need to find ways to score and shut down special teams. We need to be better in that area."
But the Rangers' power play could have been a nonfactor had the Devils been able to convert their early chances and grabbed the momentum to start the game. It could have been a totally different game and totally different outcome.
But alas, it was not to be.
"We could have made a big difference by executing (early)," Ruff said. "We didn't. Now, we move on."