Devils' Powerplay Drought as Penguins Soar at PPG Paints Arena

The New Jersey Devils faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, resulting in a 4-1 defeat for the Devils. This outcome leaves the Devils with a record of 28-29-2, while the Penguins improve to 30-15-12.

First Period

The opening period saw both teams testing each other's defenses, but it was the Pens who struck first. The Penguins capitalized on their offensive pressure with an even-strength goal that set the tone for their performance. The Devs struggled to find their rhythm and were unable to convert any of their opportunities into goals.

Second Period

In the second period, New Jersey managed to level up through Paul Cotter's effort, assisted by Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. Despite this equalizer, what went wrong for New Jersey Devils was evident in their inability to capitalize on powerplay opportunities. They had five chances but failed to score during these critical moments.

Third Period

The final period proved decisive as Pittsburgh surged ahead with three unanswered goals. Connor Clifton's stellar defensive play earned him recognition as one of the game's stars. Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs stood firm in goal for Pittsburgh, making crucial saves that kept New Jersey at bay.

Despite outshooting Pittsburgh 29-35 and winning 60 percent of faceoffs, New Jersey's powerplay drought continued to haunt them throughout this matchup. Their goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 31 saves but couldn't prevent all four goals from finding their way past him.

As fans reflect on this game and ponder what went wrong for New Jersey Devils during key moments like missed powerplays or giveaways leading directly into scoring chances against them - they can look forward towards another opportunity soon enough when facing off against St Louis Blues next week (February 28th) at Enterprise Center starting around noon local time; catch live coverage via ESPN+, MSG TV network channels available nationwide!

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