The New Jersey Devils did not generate enough offense to earn two points against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
After 60 minutes, the Devils were handed a 3-1 loss in Newark as the boos rained down from the fans who remained in the building until the final horn.
Nicolas Roy, Shea Theodore, and Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights, while Ondrej Palat scored New Jersey’s lone goal on the power play. Devils goaltender Jake Allen made 36 saves on 39 shots.
“They were bigger, smarter, and more skilled,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Vegas. “They were better tonight.”
Vegas goaltender Adin Hill shut out the Devils until the final four minutes of the game. The 28-year-old netminder was rarely tested, as New Jersey only had 17 shots on goal and five high-danger chances.
“(Vegas) is right there with the top teams in the league, making it hard to get through the neutral zone,” Keefe continued. “[…] We did not deal with that well. It was a struggle to get there, and when we did get through, the key was to be direct, get it to the net, and take advantage of your opportunities and we didn’t do so.”
The Devils will play one final game on Saturday afternoon against the Montreal Canadiens before the 4-Nations break.
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