In a game that was marred by defensive miscues, the New Jersey Devils rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Seattle Kraken 5-3 on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Devils, while the Kraken have now lost four straight.
The Kraken took an early lead when Ryan Donato scored a power-play goal just 4:58 into the game. The Devils tied it up in the second period on a goal by Jesper Bratt, but the Kraken regained the lead on a goal by Jared McCann with just 2:39 remaining in the period.
The Devils came out flying in the third period, scoring three goals in the first six minutes to take a 4-2 lead. Jesper Bratt, Ondrej Palat, and Jack Hughes all scored during that stretch. The Kraken pulled goalie Philipp Grubauer with three minutes remaining in regulation, but the Devils held on for the win.
“It was an inexcusable performance by our defense,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. “We gave up way too many odd-man rushes, and we didn’t clear the puck well enough. We’ve got to be better.”
The Devils’ victory was their first since a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on November 25. They have now lost three of their last four games, and their record over their last 10 games is 5-5-0.
“We’ve got to find a way to be more consistent,” said Devils coach Lindy Ruff. “We can’t have these big swings in our play. We’ve got to play hard every night, and we’ve got to find a way to win more games.”
The Kraken have now lost four straight games, and their record over their last 10 games is 3-7-0. They have allowed 30 goals during that stretch, which is the most in the NHL.
“We’ve got to find a way to get some wins,” said Kraken captain Mark Giordano. “We’re not playing well enough right now, and we need to find a way to turn things around.”
The Devils’ victory was a much-needed one, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to make the playoffs. The Kraken, on the other hand, are in a freefall, and they need to find a way to turn things around quickly.
The two teams will meet again on Thursday night in Seattle.
