The New Jersey Devils are soaring to new heights, they look unstoppable, and, with their 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers last night, they have now won 13-consecutive games, tying a franchise record. Following a recent pattern, the Devils looked iffy during the first period but woke up to dominate the second and third periods. Overall, it was a big win for New Jersey, and they’re showing the rest of the league that they’re true contenders this year.
First Period
The Devils drew first blood in the opening frame with a wicked one-timer from Jesper Bratt on the powerplay. Despite this early goal, the Devils did not look good during this period, failing to string together strong offensive zone shifts and looking weak in the neutral zone.
They allowed the Oilers dangerous time in the offensive zone, which culminated in a powerplay goal from Leon Draisaitl to tie the game at one. The Devils posted a woeful expected goals-for percentage at all strengths (xGF%) with a 35.44 rating.
Second Period
If the Devils needed a wake-up call, they sure seemed to have gotten it because they definitely woke up in the second period. They commanded the play, looking dangerous in all zones. Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner made a huge mistake five minutes into the frame, shoveling the puck right to a waiting Nico Hischier, who fed it to a wide-open Dawson Mercer in the crease for a goal to retake the lead.
The Devils extended their lead a few minutes later when Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt executed a beautiful passing play to create space for Damon Severson, who capitalized from the slot to make it 3-1. New Jersey dominated the possession metrics this period, posting a 64.86 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 72.9 xGF%.
Third Period
It may have appeared that the Devils would walk away with an easy win to extend their streak, but the Oilers had other plans. Those plans materialized in the form of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who waited patiently in the crease and pounced.
The score was 3-2 and the game was far from over, but instead of crumpling, the Devils slammed the door with a pair of goals. The first came on a beauty from Tomas Tatar, who was able to catch his own rebounding shot in his glove, drop it to his stick, and shoot a rising shot while moving at top speed.
Yegor Sharangovich scored a few minutes later, killing the Oilers’ hopes with a slick goal in the high slot. With that, the game ended in a 5-2 victory for Jersey.
Results
The Devils once again looked shaky at times, but they were once again able to prevail for the win. With that, they have won 13 games in a row, tying the franchise record set in 2000-01 as well as tying for the fifth-longest win-streak in NHL history. They can break the franchise record and move into a tie for fourth with a win against Toronto tomorrow.
The Devils now hold an astonishing 16-3-0 record and are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. Conversely, the Oilers own a mediocre 10-9-0 record and are in fifth in the Pacific Division.
Game Notes
Sharangovich on Fire
Yegor Sharangovich has a tendency to be a streaky player. When he’s cold, he’s nearly invisible, but when he’s hot, he can put the team on his back. He’s done just that over the past three games, scoring three goals and totaling four points, including the goal that sealed the deal last night. Sharangovich is on fire right now, and the Devils are milking it for all it’s worth.
Lindy’s Great Decision
Shaking up the lines in the middle of a game is always a risky decision for a coach. If it fails visibly, they can be sure they’ll hear about it in the postgame press conference. If it succeeds, it can turn the tide of the game.
Head coach Lindy Ruff has been taking this risk a lot lately, but usually to great success. Last night, he originally put Fabian Zetterlund on the top line with Nico Hischier, but he swapped in Mercer after the first frame. This allowed Mercer to score the go-ahead goal. Ruff has often swapped Mercer’s line assignment mid-game, and it’s usually worked to his favor. It is interesting to see such risks pay off consistently.
Up Next
The Devils will look to extend their winning streak to 14 against the Maple Leafs tomorrow at 7:00 P.M. EST.