The New Jersey Devils enjoyed their home cooking and they carried that momentum on the road trip. The Devils begin their road trip on a high note by defeating the St. Louis Blues. It was another seemingly convincing victory as New Jersey emerged victorious 4-1.
Game Recap
First Period
The first period was low event to start. More than midway through the period, the teams were tied with three shots on goal each.
Though, it was the Devils that drew first blood and in fun fashion. Off a successful breakout led by Ondrej Palat, it allowed defenseman Luke Hughes to be creative. Off what was a set play, a Hughes slap pass off the boards found Palat who rifled a slap shot past Jordan Binnington. Jacob Markstrom made key saves in the period, including one on a breakaway and the Devils took a 1-0 lead into the second period.
In a period that was played clean and with no penalties, the Devils were the stronger team. They held the edge in shot attempts, but the shot totals were only 7-6 in favor of the Devils. Things were very tightly contested and with both teams failing to generate anything of quality. It was a low event period, with the Devils holding an edge in expected goals 0.67-0.34.
Second Period
It took until 6:51 was on the clock, but the Devils struck again. The power play for the Devils that’s been lethal on the road cashed in. After recovering the puck along the boards, Jack Hughes fired a shot from a wide angle. A rebound was caused by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and Stefan Noesen put the puck in the net. It was his first goal of the month and a career-high 14th of the season. The Devils got another power play, but did not convert. The horn sounded and the Devils took a 2-0 lead into the third period.
The second period was a little closer in terms of play. During five-on-five, the Blues showed pushback holding the edge in shot attempts 13-10. They heavily outshot the Devils 7-3 and controlled the expected goals share 0.52-0.42.
Third Period
The third period was Devils once again. After the Blues attempted to float the puck out of the zone, Brendon Dillon caught the puck in mid air. Once he put it down, Dillon ripped a shot through traffic to extend the lead. The Devils continued to put the pressure on the Blues and dominated the period. But, the Blues found life and got on the board. After cycling the puck in the zone, Jordan Kyrou fired a shot through the five hole of Markstrom to cut the deficit to two.
This game took a turn and a physical one at that and was chippy the rest of the way. The Blues pulled the goalie with around five minutes left, but the Devils delivered the dagger.
With the empty net, Jesper Bratt split the Blues’ defense with his blazing speed and extended the lead 4-1. The frustrated Blues skated off in defeat 4-1.
Game Notes
- The Hughes, Palat, and Bratt trio was dominant in this game. With them on the ice, the Devils out attempted the Blues 15-5 and outshot them 5-1. They were dominant and finished with a 71.73 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%).
- Palat continues to be a factor when producing. He has three goals in his last four games. Palat had two goals in the entire month of November.
What’s Next?
The Devils road trip continues Thursday night against the Blue Jackets at 7:00 pm ET.