Credit: NJ.com
Devils Fall to Lowly Flames in Disappointing Fashion, 5-4
Published: Thursday, March 12, 2026
by Ryan Nelke
NEWARK, N.J. - The New Jersey Devils (32-31-2) fell in disappointing fashion to the Calgary Flames (26-32-7) 5-4 on Thursday night, as despite two goals down the stretch, it was not enough to complete the comeback.
The Flames would be the first of the two squads to break the ice, as Calgary manufactured on a two-on-one opportunity and capitalized, with John Beecher securing the opening tally. Matvei Gridin would pick up the lone assist.
With just under six minutes to play, Calgary would add to their lead, as a shot from the point by Kevin Bahl found its way through a crowd in front of the net, giving the Flames a 2-0 lead. Olli Maatta and Adam Klapka registered the assists.
The Devils would get an answer, but from an unlikely source, as Nick Bjugstad slid a pass over to Maxim Tsyplakov who buried one past Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf. This would be Tsyplakov’s first as a member of the Devils after being acquired in the Ondrej Palat deal.
With 2:23 remaining in the opening frame, Joel Hanley would be sent off for a double minor, as he caught Jack Hughes with a high stick. The Devils would not score in the first 2:23 of the penalty, and the period would conclude with the Flames leading 2-1.
54 seconds into the middle period, it would be the Flames who would leave the first mark on the remaining time left of the Devils power play, with Beecher scoring his second of the game.
New Jersey would have an immediate answer to this shorthanded goal, as Luke Hughes would drive to the net and Simon Nemec would clean up the mess, bringing the deficit back to one. Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom would pick up the secondary assist.
The rest of the period would fly by, but the Flames would not exit the frame without another score, as Yegor Sharangovich would beat Markstrom on the backhand, making it 4-2 at the 3:13 mark. Ryan Strome and Victor Olofsson would tally the assists.
To begin the third, it would get ugly for Markstrom and company, as his woes continued, with Mikael Backlund getting the puck past Markstrom on a shot that should have been saved. This would be a milestone for Backlund, as he registered his 600th career point. Joel Farabee and Brayden Pachal would register the assists.
Jack Hughes would answer back at the 10:25 mark as he came out of a cannon and rocketed one past Wolf, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton would take home the assists.
Time slowly started becoming an enemy for New Jersey, and as the minutes melted away, they were forced to pull Markstrom from net. The Devils would get several good looks at the end, and even drew a cross checking penalty, but Luke Hughes’ goal with 3.7 seconds left would not alter the final outcome, as the Flames wrapped up a 5-4 win.
Following the loss, New Jersey will continue their homestand as they host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
Ryan Nelke is an Assistant Sports Director and can be reached at nelkerya@shu.edu.Posted in: sports,