The New Jersey Devils have found their stride, which came at the expense of the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending their franchise-record-tying 10-game winning streak.
Despite their recent improved performance, it wasn’t enough to save the job of Devils general manager Ray Shero, who was fired earlier in the day.
Louis Domingue made 26 saves against his former team as the Devils handed the Lightning their first loss since Dec. 21 with a 3-1 victory on Sunday night.
This marked the Devils’ second win in as many days, following a victory over Washington on Saturday. However, the news of Shero’s firing surprised most players, with the announcement coming just 90 minutes before the game.
“You beat two of the best teams in the league on back-to-back nights, prove to yourself you got what it takes in this locker room, and that’s a lot of fun,” forward Blake Coleman said. “On the other side of the coin, a great leader isn’t with us anymore, and he’s the reason we’re all in this room.”
Travis Zajac, Andy Greene, and Miles Wood scored for the Devils, who have had a disappointing season and made the playoffs just once during Shero’s four-plus-year tenure. The team had already parted ways with coach John Hynes in early December.
Tyler Johnson scored the lone goal for the Lightning, who tied their consecutive wins record on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia. Curtis McElhinney, filling in for Andrei Vasilevskiy—who had back-to-back shutouts—made 17 saves.
The Lightning’s streak was the longest in the NHL this season, tied with the Islanders’ 10-game run.
“We’ve been playing some pretty good hockey,” Johnson said. “The schedule hasn’t been too kind to us. It’s up to us to throw those together and play complete team games. It says a lot about us. I think we’ve grown. Tonight wasn’t our night. Now we turn the page and hopefully start all over.”
Domingue, who had a 21-5-0 record with the Lightning last season before being traded to New Jersey on Nov. 1, started both weekend games. To maintain the lead, he made a crucial save on a Nikita Kucherov shot late in the second period.
“It’s such an important game for me,” Domingue said. “Not only am I playing against my old team, but I am also trying to stick in this league and show that I can play. It’s a daily thing. It’s not something you do over time. You have to do it every single day. A lot was at stake tonight. I can’t even describe the feeling I have right now. It’s like winning my first game all over again.”
After a scoreless first period, the teams exchanged goals early in the second.
Zajac netted the game-winner by deflecting a shot from Nikita Gusev.
Johnson had scored first, beating Domingue up close in the opening minute, but Greene tied the game at 3:10 with a shot from the left point for his first goal of the season.
This goal also ended the Lightning’s shutout streak at 169:05. They had kept both Arizona and Philadelphia scoreless in their previous two games.
Wood added an empty-net goal with a second remaining to seal the win.
“I feel we have beaten many good teams lately,” Zajac said. “Those games feel good when you do it. It just gives you confidence when you know you can play against some of these elite teams that are Stanley Cup contenders.”
Game Notes:
- The Devils recalled goaltender Cory Schneider from Binghamton on Sunday and sent Evan Cormier to the AHL.
- Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak played in his 100th NHL game.
- No. 1 overall draft pick Jack Hughes returned to the Devils’ lineup after missing five games with an upper-body injury and recorded an assist on Greene’s goal.
- New Jersey’s leading goal scorer, Kyle Palmieri (16), was out with a lower-body injury.
- Lightning LW Pat Maroon was sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
- Gusev had a third-period goal disallowed due to Coleman’s interference on McElhinney.
UP NEXT:
- Lightning: Host the Kings on Tuesday night.
- Devils: Face the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday night.
