Meier Scores, but Devils Lose 2-1 to Wild on Last Second OT Goal

Mar 22, 2023 - 2:42 AM

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1st Period

Just 1 SOG in the first 5 minutes. Mercer set up Hughes for a grade A chance and then broke up the Wild rush. Duhaime called for hooking Hamilton. Devils to the power play, a chance for their first SOG. The first unit had some good looks but Gustavsson was up to the task.

The 4th line had an extended shift in the OZ and Marino hit the post.

Shaw received a long pass behind the Devils defense and Vanecek made the save.

2nd Period

Timo Meier had 2 nice chances. Klingberg blocked the first one and Gustavsson made a save on the second.

Hughes had a shift where he lapped the defense a couple times but nothing past Gustavsson.

The Wild had a couple great shifts in a row and Vanecek made some fantastic saves to keep it tied. Tatar to the box for a cross-check. With Sharangovich back in the lineup, the PK had an easy time killing off the penalty. Still scoreless 34 minutes in.

3rd Period

Hischier just missed a near perfect setup from Bratt.

The Devils had a 3 on 1. Hughes’ pass was deflected and Haula couldn’t corral it. Gustavsson was there anyway.

The Devils had a 2 on 2 and Gustavsson made 2 saves on Tatar.

Boqvist hit the post on a back-door tap in attempt.

The Devils had a couple chances to clear and failed. Shaw took the puck from behind the net on a bank pass and tried to stuff it in. It went off Palat’s stick and in. Minnesota finally breaks the ice.

Middleton recovered to stop a Meier wraparound attempt.

Boldy hit the crossbar on a breakaway.

This game has gone from nothing is happening to everything is happening in the last few minutes.

McLeod wins a DZ faceoff. Severson with a stretch pass to Bratt and Goligoski gets his stick in his skates. Devils to the power play. They again had 3 shots, but still nothing on the board.

Bratt took a shot from the point that was blocked. Hischier poked the puck behind the net to Meier and he wrapped it around and in. The Devils FINALLY get one past Gustavsson, tie game!

Bratt used his stutter step move and cut to the net. Meier crashed the net as well and Dumba threw him to the ice. He’s off for roughing, Devils to the power play. The first 40 seconds were bad, but then the Devils had a good chance with Hischier being set up at the right circle. Towards the end of the power play Mercer was covering at the point. The puck hopped over his stick and over the blue line and he spun around with the puck to keep the Wild from having a shorthanded breakaway.

Overtime

Jack Hughes had 3 one-on-one type chances and Gustavsson was equal to the task. Both teams had a couple more opportunities and more saves both from goaltenders. Meier had a chance and was taken down, no call. Hughes had another chance and was stopped. The puck came right to Boldy and with a tired Hamilton trying to get back, Boldy beat Vanecek with 1 second left in OT. Wild win, 2-1.

Goaltending Duel

Today’s game was most definitely a goalie battle. The first 2 periods were your typical hockey game. I didn’t see anything that stood out as particularly good or bad. The Devils game up a bit more slot shots than I would’ve liked in the 2nd but sometimes that happens against good teams, and the 2nd has been the Devils’ weak period lately. Vanecek and Gustavsson were the stars of the show. It was scoreless for most of the game. Vanecek made some great saves in the first 40 and the Wild finally got one past him on a lucky bounce. Gustavsson looked like a brick wall the entire game, but the Devils made one good play where Hischier was first to a bouncing puck and Meier was in the right spot for a wraparound. The Devils went down a goal and managed to respond without the need for an empty net. Gustavsson made a few more great saves in OT and the Wild got one lucky chance with a few seconds left and Boldy scored. The Devils got a point out of it and played a good game. Deserve-to-win o’meter was 57% Devils. They had 48(!) shots and only got one past a goalie who played a great game. Hughes had 10 SOG, Hamilton 9, Meier 6. I thought Meier played a great game, and of course he had the lone Devils goal that tied the game and got them a point. Vanecek also had another strong game with a .931. He had some doubters after a few poor games in a row. Some people were saying he ran out of gas, but he has a .930 average in his last 4 games.

The power play also showed signs of life today. The last few games I’ve watched the power play looked completely off. Today they had 3, 3, and 2 shots on their power plays and had some nice looks. Much better than what I’ve seen recently, even if they didn’t score.