Here are some observations from the game:
• Jacob Markstrom picked up right where he left off since his Jan. 22nd MCL injury. Markstrom has been working diligently to return to the lineup. The 35-year-old netminder missed 11 games over the span of six weeks of recovery.
“Felt good to be out there playing, it’s been a few weeks here,” Markstrom said post-game. “But unfortunately we couldn’t get away with two points.
“I feel conditioning and strength-wise I feel stronger now from working out in the gym for five and a half weeks,” he added. “Playing the game, I felt alright but you want the goals back. That’s the name of the game.
Regardless of Sunday’s result, having Markstrom back in the lineup will provide a huge boost to this team in the waning games of the regular season.
“He’s such a competitor. He’s a leader in the room,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said prior to the game. “The way he plays goal, he competes. He gives everything he has in there. We’re going to have to do a good job to protect him and give him an opportunity to get back up to speed.
“He’s a competitor in the net. He gives absolute effort every time out. Players and the team can feed off of that.”
• For just the third time this season the Devils entered the third period of a game with a 0-0 scoreline. The other two instances were Nov. 21 at Calgary (3-0, L) and Jan. 14 at home against Florida (2-1, SOL)
• Luke Hughes continues to show new dimensions to his overall game and has been carrying a heavy load since Jonas Siegenthaler went down with injury. On Saturday, head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke about Hughes being put in new positions and handling them determinedly. Fresh off of playing 22:42 against the Utah Hockey Club, Hughes shot back into the lineup and played nearly half of the opening period against the Golden Knights. Hughes logged 9:16 during the first to lead both teams. Hughes hit 18:04 after 40 minutes and finished the game with 27:56 time on ice.
• Paul Cotter played his 200th career game. Serendipitously, his milestone game came against the team that drafted 115th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. He played parts of three seasons with the Golden Knights, suiting up for 138 games, registering 22 goals and 23 assists. He won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023.
The Golden Knights had a ‘Welcome Back’ video for Cotter that was greeted with big applause and a standing ovation while Cotter waved and saluted the crowd.