Devils' Jacob Markstrom: Fades late in Thursday's loss

Markstrom stopped 23 of 27 shots in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Flames. The fifth marker was an empty-netter.

The Devils took a 3-1 lead into the third period, but neither Markstrom nor the shorthanded defensive corps in front of him could rise to the occasion and make it stick. The 35-year-old netminder has dropped five of six decisions since returning from a knee injury at the beginning of March, stumbling to a 4.22 GAA and an .833 save percentage over that stretch, but New Jersey's spot in the postseason still seems fairly secure -- the Devils sit eight points clear of the Rangers and Islanders, the teams on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble, with 12 games left on their schedule.