After five straight losses, the New Jersey Devils (29-29-2, 7th Metropolitan) got back in the win column with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues (21-29-9, 8th Central) Saturday at the Enterprise Center.
First Period
Neither team seized control of the game in the opening minutes. Both teams got looks in the offensive zone, but the goalies held their own, and there was no sustained pressure. Jack Hughes had the Devils’ best chance to start the game, sending a wrist shot in on Jordan Binnington, who he beat to win Olympic gold last Sunday, that he corralled.
St. Louis got the first power play of the day on a Dougie Hamilton tripping call. The Devils killed off the penalty efficiently, holding them to one shot on goal and even getting a shorthanded chance with Nick Bjugstad and Jesper Bratt in the Blues’ end.
The Devils made an offensive push at the end of the period, with a strong shift led by the Arseny Gritsyuk, Connor Brown, and Hughes line. Jack Hughes put another shot on Binnington, who made another sharp save.
The score remained tied at zero after an evenly played period. The Blues and Devils had 12 and 11 shots on goal, respectively, while the Blues just edged out the Devils in five-on-five possession with a 55.56 Corsi-for percentage (CF%).
Second Period
The Devils got their first chance on the power play a few minutes into the second period off a Matthew Kessel spearing call. Timo Meier had the Devils’ only shot on goal with the man advantage, but the team had a few scoring opportunities late in the power play.
New Jersey had all the momentum after the power play despite not scoring. The Jack Hughes’ line had another strong shift, with Hughes feeding Connor Brown and Brett Pesce for a pair of high-danger chances. The Devils built on this with a series of offensive zone shifts.
Timo Meier finally broke through with the Devils’ first goal five minutes into the period, carrying the puck into the offensive zone on a two-on-one and sniping a wrist shot over Binnington’s right pad.
The Devils continued to work after the goal. Luke Hughes nearly had another higher-danger opportunity all alone, but Binnington made a great diving play to poke the puck away from him. A flurry of chances in front of the Blues’ net almost led to another goal, but Timo Meier got called for a high stick on Logan Mailloux instead. The Devils’ kill once again stood tall, holding St. Louis to one shot.
The Blues came back with their own pressure late in the period. Brett Pesce made a heroic play to end the siege and draw a penalty, gutting out a shift after getting shaken up and drawing a tripping call in a scrum along the wall.
Dougie Hamilton capitalized on the ensuing power play, snapping a one-timer home from above the slot off a feed from Jack Hughes. The Devils would go into the second intermission up 2-0 after a strong period where they dominated the five-on-five scoring battle with a 94.11 expected goal percentage (xG%).
Third Period
With a two-goal lead going into the third period, the Devils tightened up and played conservatively to try to shut the Blues down. They did a good job of keeping the Blues on the perimeter and not letting anyone get a good look on Jacob Markström.
Jack Hughes made a mental mistake a few minutes into the period when he flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty, handing the Blues a prime opportunity to get on the board. The Devils’ penalty killers came up big yet again, holding St. Louis to two shots. Connor Brown played great on the kill, forcing a turnover that led to a one-on-one at the other end.
New Jersey regained control after the power play and played stout defense as time ran thin. Head coach Jim Montgomery pulled Binnington with three minutes to go to try to bring the game within reach.
With the clock winding down, Markström made a blunder that led to a Blues goal. He played the puck behind the net under pressure and turned it over, leading to a Pavel Buchnevich goal on an empty net to cut the Devils’ lead in half.
The Blues, still with an empty net, played with a vengeance after the goal in a desperate effort to tie the game. New Jersey locked it down, however, and Nico Hischier’s empty-netter sealed it. The Devils didn’t dominate offensively in the third, but held St. Louis to a 21.73 xG% at all strengths to cap a strong period.
Results
A high-octane second period with two goals followed by a lock-down performance in the third period led the Devils to a satisfying 2-1 victory in St. Louis. The Devils played well and controlled most of the game. They snapped a five-game losing streak with the win, and scored more than one goal for the first time in five games.
Game Notes
- The Gritsyuk, Hughes, and Brown line is one we haven’t seen before yesterday. They had a strong game, with Hughes feeding Gritsyuk and Brown for a few dangerous opportunities. They posted an 83.33 CF% and an 87.23 xG% collectively at five-on-five. Head coach Sheldon Keefe even elevated Gritsyuk and Brown to the first power play unit to play the hot hand.
- Timo Meier had a much-needed quality game Saturday, scoring a goal and making an impact offensively whenever he was on the ice. He earned a 62.16 CF% and an 84.68 xG% at five-on-five to go along with a Game Score of 3.14.
- The Devils’ special teams were on point yesterday. Dougie Hamilton’s goal came on the power play, while the penalty kill unit held their own on three St. Louis power plays.
- Luke Hughes had a good first game back after a 10-game absence. He played the third most minutes of any Devil with 20:10 of ice time and got a few higher-danger looks on Binnington. The Devils played well when he was on the ice, with a 61.76 CF% and a 69.92 xG%.
Up Next
The Devils will start a seven-game homestand against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.