DETROIT — In an Eastern Conference clash that featured feistiness and scuffles throughout, including after the final horn sounded, the Detroit Red Wings lost to the New Jersey Devils, 4-2, at Prudential Center on Monday night.
“I thought it was good that we stuck together as a team,” said James van Riemsdyk, who scored his second goal of the season and was playing in his 1,100th career NHL game. “It was definitely a hard-fought game between two good teams. Tempers raised a little bit at the end there, but we were going to stick together as a team if we felt we didn’t like the play that was made a little bit earlier in the [third] period there.”
The Red Wings (13-9-1; 27 points) outshot the Devils (14-7-1; 29 points) 35-19, with goalie Cam Talbot making 15 saves and netminder Jacob Markstrom finishing with 32.
“They’re going to take liberties, and we have to push back,” said captain Dylan Larkin, who netted his team-leading 13th goal of the season. “They’re trying to bait us into taking a penalty and kind of icing the game that way. They took liberties. Our guy takes one early in the game and he stands up for it, and they don’t do the same. It is what it is. I thought we showed good composure and still had a lot of looks there at the end.”
Timo Meier’s tip-in goal kicked off the scoring and gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 12:54 of the first period, but Alex DeBrincat responded for the Red Wings at 16:33 when he put home the rebound off Patrick Kane’s shot from the right face-off circle that was initially stopped by Markstrom.
Moritz Seider recorded the secondary helper on DeBrincat’s 11th goal of the season, which tied it 1-1. In his last seven games, DeBrincat has collected 10 points (seven goals, three assists).
