NEWARK, N.J. — A pair of newcomers, brought in to help the offense, made immediate contributions for the Detroit Red Wings — but not enough to withstand one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Wings commanded the pace in the first period Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, withstood the momentum swings of the second period, and used their power play to force a tie in the third period at Prudential Center. The Devils scored with less than five minutes to go, however, and the Wings’ chances of rallying were doused with their sixth penalty of the evening. The final score favored the Devils, 4-3.
Alex DeBrincat scored on a power play midway through the third period, following up on the first-period goal from fellow newcomer Daniel Sprong. But another newcomer, Jeff Petry, went to the penalty box twice; four other Wings made the same trip.
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Jack Hughes, the former US National Team Development Program star, showed off his elite skill set with two goals in the second period, but he also was sent to the penalty box twice.
Dougie Hamilton scored with 4:21 to play and Erik Haula scored an empty-net goal that stood as the winner when Robby Fabbri scored on a power play with 33.7 seconds to play.
The Wings play their first game of the 2023-24 season at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Fast start
It was the Devils’ season opener, too, but the Wings did a good job quieting the crowd with a fast start, sustaining play in New Jersey’s zone. David Perron got a quick shot on net; so did DeBrincat, and on the next shift, Sprong. The Wings killed off an early penalty to Jake Walman, and directed three shots on net when they had a power play near the midpoint of the first period. Lucas Raymond missed on a scoring chance late in the period, leaving the Wings with a 14-6 edge in shots.
Momentum swings
Sprong, signed in the offseason on to help the offense, was credited for a goal at 12:14 of the second period when the puck went in off him as he rushed towards the net. The lead was short lived, as the Devils converted while Perron was in the box. Hughes scored at 13:40, and the Wings went down a skater for the fourth time when Christian Fischer was sent off for tripping at 14:23.
MVP chants
A lively crowd started chanting “MVP, MVP,” after Hughes scored his second of the game with a minute and change left in the second period, beating Ville Husso with a terrific shot. Hughes, an USNTDP product, was the No. 1 pick in 2019 (the year the Wings had the sixth pick, and then-new general manager Steve Yzerman drafted defenseman Moritz Seider). The Devils signed Hughes to an eight-year, $64 million contract in November 2021; which, two years on, looks like a bargain for one of the game’s premier players.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings lose to New Jersey Devils, 4-3
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