Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. Jack Hughes recorded three points, including the game-winning goal, as New Jersey picked up their third win of the season.
Recap
First Period
The Devils came out hot in Detroit as they recorded the first four shots of the game. Finally, the Devils broke through first for the first time all year. Stefan Noesen centered it for Evan Rodrigues, who sniped the puck past Red Wings goalie John Gibson. His first with the Devils made it 1-0.
The Devils kept the pressure on following the goal, but it only took one chance for Detroit to make it a whole new game. Emmitt Finne took the stretch feed from Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and fired a wicked wrist shot by Jake Allen. The 21-year-old’s second of the season tied things at one heading into the first intermission.
Second Period
Despite the Devils having another good start to the period, another defensive breakdown led to the Red Wings grabbing the lead. Detroit got in on a two-on-one, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard buried the feed from Emmitt Finne to make it 2-1 Detroit.
The Devils soon responded as Dawson Mercer made a nice zone entry and found the wide-open Anthony Mantha. He buried it in the empty net to score his first as a Devil and tie the game at two.
The Devils kept the pressure on as they went to the power play, and it didn’t take long for Nico Hischier to put home a net-front chance. The captain’s third of the year made it 3-2 Devils.
The back-and-forth in the second period continued as Alex DeBrincat sniped a puck from the blue line to even the score at three.
The Devils once again answered right back as Jesper Bratt finished a chance and gave the Devils back the lead before the end of the period.
Third Period
The Red Wings came out playing their best period yet, and soon it paid off. Moritz Seider made a beautiful pass to find Alex DeBrincat, who sniped home his second of the game. All of a sudden, the game was tied for the fourth time. Both teams had chances to break the tie late, but Jake Allen and John Gibson held strong as the game went to overtime.
Overtime
Just over a minute into overtime, Jesper Bratt found an open Jack Hughes behind the Red Wings’ defense. He took his time and buried a wrist shot by John Gibson. His second overtime-winner of the season picked up New Jersey’s third win of 2026-2027.
Key Takeaways
The New Guys
After having slow starts to their Devils careers, Evan Rodrigues and Anthony Mantha both scored their first goals with the team Tuesday. Despite this, they both finished bottom two on the team Corsi-for percentage. The Devils would like to see a lot more from these two moving forward and throughout the rest of their time with the Devils.
New Top Line
The Devils changed up their top line, swapping Anthony Mantha for Arseny Gritsyuk. Playing with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt they were by far New Jersey’s most effective line Tuesday.
The trio combined for one goal and 29 shot attempts. They also led the team with a combined 1.831 expected goals for. It’s fair to say head coach Sheldon Keefe should keep these three together moving forward.
What’s Next
The Devils will head back home on Thursday to take on their rival New York Rangers.