Thursday night, the New Jersey Devils defeated the Carolina Hurricanes at home 4-2 to improve to 13-7-2 on the season. A pair of third period goals would be the deciding factor for the Devils who bounced back from a loss last Saturday.
Recap
Period One
The Hurricanes were the ones who got off to a quick start in this game, with the first few shots and the first goal. Jack Roslovic pounced on a rebound created by a Dimitri Orlov shot to put Carolina up 1-0.
A few minutes later the Devils would strike back. Ondrej Palat made a terrific play to hold the puck in the offensive zone and put it towards goal where Jack Hughes made an even better play to set up Jesper Bratt with an open net.
Towards the end of the period, the Devils would draw a penalty, and then another. New Jersey would get a crack at a five-on-three to begin period two, tied 1-1.
Period Two
The Devils would take advantage of their two-man advantage as Jack Hughes made another great pass to set up Stefan Noesen for a mid-air tip in goal. They scored just in the nick of time to assure they still had a power play after the goal, however they would fail to capitalize on that one.
The two teams would exchange chances throughout the remainder of the period, with the Devils getting the better of them. This includes a great chance shorthanded by Jesper Bratt to end the period. With the Canes on the power play this time to wrap things up it would be 2-1 Devils.
Period Three
This time around it would be Carolina scoring a beautiful power play goal to open the period, as Andrei Svechnkiov whipped a wrist shot high glove side past Jacob Markstrom to even the score.
Things would remain fairly tame until Dawson Mercer and Tomas Tatar pounced on a loose puck behind the net and set up Dougie Hamilton for a big one timer short side high to put New Jersey up 3-2. A few minutes later, with the Devils on the power play, their hottest hand in Jesper Bratt struck again as he walked into the slot and wired a wrist shot past Spencer Martin.
Carolina pulled Spencer Martin in an effort to get even, to no avail. The Devils won their first game against Carolina in six tries 4-2 at home.
Game Notes
Defensive Masterpiece
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best coached teams in the NHL, rarely are they offensively subdued. The Canes had a 3.48 expected goals per 60 minutes (xG/60) at five-on-five going into last night’s game, the best mark in the NHL. Last night, the Devils held them to just 1.40, over a full two expected goals lower than what Carolina has averaged this season.
The Devils weren’t just fantastic last night however, they’ve been elite all year long. Their 2.14 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at five-on-five ranked fifth in the NHL before last night and is likely even higher now.
An Underrated Star
Jesper Bratt has been on fire over his past seven games. He has seven goals and 12 total points. His seven goals leads the team over that stretch and 12 points is second only behind his linemate Jack Hughes. Bratt is also far and away the team leader in individual expected goals (ixG) with a mark of 4.9. He is 1.79 above Nico Hischier who is second in ixG during this stretch of games.
Overall, a dominant stretch of hockey from Jesper Bratt who is currently top 10 in scoring for the entire league with 27 points in 22 games.
What’s Next
The Devils are back in action Saturday night against the Washington Capitals. The game is set for a 7:00 pm ET puck drop in Washington D.C.