@ New Jersey

The boys decided to see how long Anthony Stolarz could hold his breath under a mountain of rubber. Getting outshot 47 to 27 is a bold strategy but Stolarz played like he was trying to earn a vacation he will never actually get. Matias Maccelli opened the scoring with a wrist shot which naturally meant we all started thinking about postseason seeding way too early. William Nylander added a power play goal in the second period thanks to a deflection but the Devils kept coming like a relentless wave of red jerseys. Brandon Carlo and Philippe Myers helped the cause by spending time in the penalty box and giving our tired defense even more work to do.

We actually had a lead late in the third period after Matthew Knies decided to bat a puck into the net like he was playing a different sport entirely. It felt like a classic gutsy road win until Connor Brown reminded us that former players always find their scoring touch the second they leave Ontario. He tied it up with less than three minutes left and sent us to the inevitable doom of a shootout. It is honestly impressive to get outshot 13 to 4 in the final frame while trying to protect a lead but that is the level of commitment to drama we have come to expect from this roster.

Auston Matthews had a rough go at the faceoff dot winning only 33 percent of his draws while managing just a single assist. Paul Cotter ended the misery in the shootout with a backhand and just like that another point floated away into the abyss. Stolarz deserves a formal apology from the skaters for making 44 saves only to watch the team crumble in the skills competition. We found a way to turn a heroic goaltending performance into a heartbreaking loss and that is the most consistent thing about being a fan of this franchise.