The New Jersey Devils (12-3-0) defeated the Arizona Coyotes (6-7-1) 4-2 at the Prudential Center on Saturday night. The win extended the Devils’ win streak to nine games, tied for the third-longest in franchise history. The last time the Devils won nine in a row was during the 2007-2008 campaign.
Game Summary
First Period
This one started out slow with Arizona leading in shots 3-1 six minutes into the contest, but it picked up quickly after that. Nico Hischier protected the puck in the offensive zone before dishing to Fabian Zetterlund behind the net. Zetterlund then hit Tomas Tatar in the slot who buried a one-timer from in close. With the goal and assist, Tatar and Hischer both extended their point streaks to a career-high seven games.
However, the lead was short-lived. Erik Haula took an offensive zone penalty giving the Coyotes’ third-ranked power play a chance to strike, and Arizona took advantage. After a quiet 105 seconds, Dylan Guenther attempted a cross-seam pass that Jonas Siegenthaler went down to block. The puck deflected off his arm and past a helpless Akira Schmid just nine minutes into the third, tying the game at one apiece.
Jack Hughes had an immediate response, though. Just 20-seconds later, the 2019 first-overall pick broke down the right wing and sniped one past Karel Vejmelka from the circle. The Devils had a pair of power play chances later in the first, but could not extend their lead.
After one, New Jersey had a 55.77 xGF% at five-on-five, but Arizona held the Corsi advantage with a 61.90 CF%.
Second Period
After a sloppy first period where they held a lead, the second period was much better from New Jersey. However, it did not start out that way.
Midway through the period, Arizona went back to the man advantage after a slash on Dougie Hamilton. Clayton Keller tied things up at two with a slick backhander.
From there, the Devils took full control of the game. Jesper Boqvist restored the New Jersey lead, whacking home his own rebound between a trio of Coyotes. Boqvist’s first of the year was assisted by Haula and Siegenthaler with eight minutes to play in the middle period.
New Jersey went back to the power play after a Liam O’Brien double minor for roughing Miles Wood after the whistle. The Devils power play was buzzing and Dougie Hamilton buried a slap shot to double the lead.
The game remained 4-2 after two periods with New Jersey posting an outstanding 84.21 CF% and a 89.15 xGF% at five-on-five.
Third Period
The Devils entered the third period trying to secure a two-goal lead, and that’s exactly what they did. New Jersey was a bit more reserved at five-on-five, but still had the edge in play.
Arizona made a final push late in the contest, going back to the power play with five minutes to go. However, the Devils penalty kill prevented any shots, and Clayton Keller was called for slashing halfway through the kill, bringing up a minute of four-on-four. The Coyotes pulled Vejmelka with 1:54 to go, but couldn’t capitalize.
The final horn sounded with the Devils securing a 4-2 win for a ninth-straight victory. In the final period, New Jersey had a 50 CF% and a 56.79 xGF% at five-on-five. For the game, the Devils had a 57.41 CF% and a 70.77 xGF%. Another dominant effort.
Wrap Up
No one Devils took over the scoresheet in the win, but 10 different Devils recorded at least one point. Tomas Tatar was the only player to record a multi-point night for New Jersey with a goal and assist.
Akira Schmid recorded his second-straight win, stopping 16 of 18 shots faced. He allowed 0.56 goals above expected, but one of the goals allowed came from an unfortunate bounce off his own defenseman.
Meanwhile, Karel Vejmelka took the loss for Arizona, stopping 22 of the 26 shots he faced. He allowed 0.5 goals above expected.
Game Notes
Devils’ Penalty Kill and Discipline
Entering this game, discipline was going to be key against an Arizona power play converting at 29.6%, the third-best mark in the NHL. However, the Devils took some early penalties, allowing the Coyotes to hang around on the strength of two power play goals. The New Jersey penalty kill finished at 2-for-4 on the night, and one of those kills was on an abbreviated power play.
This continues a bit of a worrying trend from the Devils penalty-kill unit that has now allowed a power play goal against in five of the past six games. The New Jersey penalty kill is now tied for 15th in the NHL at 80%.
While yes, the Devils have been winning, the penalty kill has been the biggest flaw during the streak.
The Hischier Line
The Nico Hischier line was utterly dominant at five-on-five on Saturday. The trio of Hischier, Zetterlund, and Tatar had the three-best CF% and xGF% marks on the team in the win. The line also combined for the opening goal of the night, while Tatar picked up a point on the Jack Hughes goal.
Hischier and Tatar also are currently riding career-best seven-game point streaks and are continuing to make good things happen whenever they step over the boards.
Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes also had a very nice night, including his fifth goal of the season. Hughes had a 60.00 CF% and 69.69 xGF% at five-on-five, but looked even more dangerous than the numbers may indicate, especially when factoring in the chances he created on the power play.
The 21-year-old is still operating at a point-per-game pace with 15 points in as many contests. Meanwhile, Hughes is shooting just 7.9%, below his 9.8% career average.
He also is among the league leaders in goals scored below expected. Per JFresh Hockey, Hughes scored four goals below expected entering tonight’s contest. Even with the wealth of chances Hughes is creating, he still has another gear he can reach.
What’s Next
The Devils head back to Canada for another three-game road trip, this time against Eastern Conference foes. New Jersey next takes on Montreal on Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at Bell Centre.
Note: All stats via Natural Stat Trick