The New Jersey Devils keep on chugging along and begin the road trip on a high note. The Devils extended their win streak to four games and defeated the Vancouver Canucks as they won 5-2. Mackenzie Blackwood went on to secure the win and owns a perfect record when facing the Canucks in his career. It is the first four-game winning streak for the Devils in four years.
Game Summary
First Period
The Devils picked up where they left off Sunday and grabbed the momentum. Over four minutes into the first period, the Devils took advantage of the league’s worst penalty-killing unit. Jesper Bratt sent a cross-ice pass through the slot where Nico Hischier tipped it past Thatcher Demko.
New Jersey would then extended the lead later in the period. After retrieving the puck below the goal line, Nathan Bastian threw a puck on net, where Michael McLeod shoved the rebound home.
The Devils entered the first intermission with a 2-0 lead. Which was a bit ironic given it was one of the team’s poorer periods of the season from a shots and scoring chances standpoint.
Second Period
It would take until halfway through the second period, but the Devils added to their lead. In a span of 2:12, the Devils would add two more goals.
While being shorthanded and off an odd-man rush, Yegor Sharangovich slid a cross-ice pass to Dawson Mercer for the goal. Off another odd-man rush, Sharangovich would score one of his own off a pass from Jesper Boqvist.
Vancouver would respond on the power play as Bo Horvat sniped a shot right in the slot to cut the deficit. It was a 4-1 game after two periods.
Third Period
A much lower-scoring affair compared to the first two periods. Late in the period, Bo Horvat struck again to cut the deficit to two goals. Jack Hughes would seal the deal moments later and score the empty-net goal as the Devils started the road trip with two points.
Wrap up
Tuesday night, in the 5-2 victory, the Devils had five different goal scorers. Both Jack Hughes and Yegor Sharangovich had multi-point games, and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 of 21 to secure the victory.
The team also ended the better team at even strength despite the lackluster first period as they smothered the Canucks. Everything is looking up for the team as they are on a hot streak and playing some of its best hockey in years.
Game Notes
- Jesper Bratt is on a 10-game point streak. That tied a franchise record previously held by Tim Higgins. Bratt currently sits fourth in the league in points.
- Mackenzie Blackwood looked solid in net. He maintains his perfect record against the Canucks (5-0) in his career and finished tonights game with a .913 save percentage and .80 goals saved above expected (per Natural Stat Trick).
What’s Next?
The New Jersey Devils continue their Western Canada road trip against the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night at 10:00 P.M. ET.