The New Jersey Devils (15-7-2) dominated the Nashville Predators (7-12-3) 4-1 on Monday night. Nico Hischier netted his first career hat trick in the win. New Jersey has now won five of six and 10 of its last 13. Also, with the win, the Devils remain one point ahead of the Hurricanes for first in the Metropolitan Division, although Carolina has three games in hand.
Game Summary
First Period
The Devils kept up the pressure after an early power play ended, but it was Nashville that opened the scoring. Filip Forsberg threw a puck toward the net from the boards and beat Jacob Markstrom. Forsberg’s ninth of the year made it 1-0 Predators five minutes in.
However, Dawson Mercer led a three-on-two rush with just under nine minutes left in the period and slid the puck to Johnathan Kovacevic who had joined the rush. Kovacevic threw one across the crease to Erik Haula who tied the game at one with his fifth of the year.
Nashville had a chance to get the lead back after Haula took a tripping call with three minutes left in the frame. On the power play, the Predators had three shots on net, but did not score. Gustav Nyquist came the closest, but the puck was cleared off the goal line after Jacob Markstrom got a piece of the shot.
After one, it was 1-1, although shots were 11-8 Devils. New Jersey posted a 59.09 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 61.11 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five.
Second Period
Nashville went right back to the power play after Timo Meier tripped Forsberg right off the opening faceoff of the middle period. New Jersey killed it off, but Roman Josi gave them a scare when he hit the outside of the post as the man advantage expired.
Back at five-on-five, the Devils found their footing once again. After a strong block from Brett Pesce, Meier began a rush the other way and found Nico Hischier cutting to the net with speed. The captain protected the puck around Marc Del Gaizo and slid the puck five-hole on Saros to make it 2-1 Devils. It was Hishcier’s 11th of the season and first goal in 10 games.
Nashville had too many men on the ice midway through the period and New Jersey went back to the man advantage. Nico Hischier immediately took advantage, burying a rebound into the top corner off a Dougie Hamilton slapshot, making it 3-1 Devils.
As the period wound down, Hischier struck again. Stefan Noesen forced neutral zone turnover and fed Hischier who beat Saros five-hole once again, making it 4-1. It was a natural hat trick for Hischier in the span of 13 minutes. It was also the first hat trick of the captain’s career as well.
After two, it was 4-1 Devils. Shots in the middle period were 19-10 in favor of New Jersey. At five-on-five, the Devils registered a 54.29 CF% and a 81.41 xGF%.
Third Period
To start the third period, former Devil Scott Wedgewood replaced Juuse Saros in the Nashville net. On the night, the Devils beat Saros four times on 30 shots.
Somewhat out of nowhere, Roman Josi caught the Devils off-guard with a beautiful stretch pass. He picked out Zachary L’Heureux who beat Jacob Markstrom for his second career goal. The 2021 first-round pick made it a 4-2 game with 12 minutes to play.
The Hischier line had another great opportunity to get that goal back, but Wedgewood came up with a pair of big saves against Hischier and Timo Meier.
With 7:43 to go, Timo Meier got into a scrum with L’Heureux after the whistle. The Devils had taken exception to a reverse hit L’Heureux had thrown on Paul Cotter a few minutes before, but Meier crosschecked L’Heureux in the face, picking up a deserved five-minute major and a game misconduct.
New Jersey put together a clinical penalty kill after the major. The Devils held Nashville to just one shot on goal over the five minutes, even with Nashville pulling Wedgewood for a six-on-four advantage with four minutes left in the game. Meanwhile, with Meier ejected and Justin Dowling serving the penalty, all ten remaining forwards saw ice time on the kill.
Just after exiting the box, Justin Dowling picked up the puck at center ice and hit the empty net with 2:35 remaining to seal the win.
In the third, shots were 16-3 Devils. At five-on-five, New Jersey managed a 80.77 CF% and a 92.20 xGF%.
Wrap-Up
For the game, shots were 46-21 in favor of New Jersey. The Devils absolutely dominated at five-on-five, putting up a 63.86 CF% and a 79.39 xGF% at even strength.
In net, Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 of 21 shots in the win. He turned aside 0.23 goals above expected.
Game Notes
Hughes-Pesce Pairing Dominant
Nico Hischier rightfully will get the headlines for scoring his first career hat trick, but Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes may have had the most dominant nights on the team, at least possession metrics-wise.
Hughes finished with a team-leading 91.28 xGF% at five-on-five while Pesce posted an 88.17 xGF%. At one point five minutes left in the second period, the pair both sat north of a 98.00 xGF%, utterly dominating the play at even strength.
Moreover, with Hughes on the ice, the Devils had a 8-1 edge in scoring chances and a 5-0 edge in high-danger chances at five-on-five. With Pesce, those figures were 9-2 and 6-1. It was a superb metrics night for all 18 skaters, but especially for Hughes and Pesce.
Elite Special Teams
As much as the Devils destroyed Nashville at five-on-five, the special teams, namely the penalty kill, were superb on Monday. As mentioned earlier, the Devils held Nashville to just one shot on net on the crucial Timo Meier major late in the third period.
In fact, in 13 minutes of total ice time shorthanded, New Jersey allowed just two high-danger chances as the penalty kill went a perfect five-for-five.
Meanwhile, the Devils’ own power play stayed hot, going 1-for-2 in the win. New Jersey generated two high-danger chances of their own in just 2:38, over 10 minutes less than Nashville. Keep in mind, Nashville owned the league’s best penalty kill entering the night.
New Jersey now has five power play goals over the last three contests, coming against Carolina, Washington, and Nashville, all of whom own top-seven penalty kills.
Another Strong Night For Fourth Line
The trio of Justin Dowling, Tomas Tatar, and Shane Bowers posted a 63.37 xGF% in over seven minutes of five-on-five ice time. While this is an impressive mark, it was the lowest of the Devils’ four forward lines in an absolutely dominant team performance. However, just a few games ago, the New Jersey fourth line was a black hole that got dominated on a nightly basis.
In fact, over the last three games, Tatar, Dowling, and Bowers lead all Devils skaters in terms of xGF% at five-on-five. Bowers has played just two games, but leads the team with a 79.77 xGF%. Tatar has posted a 74.14 xGF% while Dowling has put up a 73.42 xGF%.
This is obviously a very small sample size, but early returns are incredibly positive on this new-look fourth line.
What’s Next
The Devils host the St. Louis Blues and new head coach Jim Montgomery on Wednesday night. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.