In a must-win game to salvage their playoff hopes, the New Jersey Devils (30-25-4) dominated the San Jose Sharks (15-37-5) 7-2 in San Jose. The Devils overcame a rough first period that drained the hope of the diehards who stayed up for the late start. They came back with a solid second period and blew the game open in the third.
First Period
The Devils needed a fast start but they got exactly the opposite. Filip Zadina almost scored seconds in, just missing a wraparound attempt after collecting his own rebound. Tyler Toffoli looked poised for a clean breakaway before Henry Thrun interfered with him, giving the Devils an early power play.
They were strong on the man advantage, cycling well and creating high-danger opportunities in front of the net, but couldn’t put the puck past their former goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood. After the failed power play, the Sharks stymied the Devils with brutal hits, limiting their offensive ability. Simon Nemec in particular took a dangerous hit into the boards that should have drawn a penalty. Mackenzie Blackwood seemed to be getting in an unbreakable rhythm before going down the tunnel with an apparent injury. Kappo Kahkonen replaced him in the Sharks’ net.
The Sharks eventually broke through with a goal from Nico Sturm at the 18:17 mark, burying it from the crease after a smart pass by Alexander Barabonov, who intercepted a pass from Nico Hischier. The Devils’ structure completely collapsed after the goal, letting up shot after shot. Mercifully, they escaped the first period down by one.
It was the worst start you could ask for against the Sharks as the Devils notched a paltry 38.89 Corsi-for percentage and a 25.07 expected goal percentage (xG%).
Second Period
Something must have clicked in the locker room, or maybe the Devils just realized they were better than the Sharks because everything fell into place for New Jersey in the second period. Jesper Bratt quickly got the Devils on the board at the 3:29 mark, motoring in two-on-one with Timo Meier and executing the bang-bang passing play to fool Kahkonen.
Jack Hughes looked like his best self 30 seconds later, shooting out of a cannon on a breakaway and sniping the one-on-one shot past Kahkonen.
Nikita Okhotyuk took a holding penalty halfway into the period, giving the Devils a chance to take a two-goal lead. Timo Meier seemingly capitalized, snapping an easy shot from the circle into the back of the net but San Jose successfully challenged the play for a missed offside call on Alexander Holtz.
However, the Devils took it in stride, quickly going back on the attack. Kevin Bahl, of all people, extended the lead to 3-1 at the 13:08 mark, winding up a blazing slap shot from the far circle. It was Bahl’s first goal of the season. The Devils let up on the gas after the third goal, but still outshot the Sharks 16-12 during the second period.
New Jersey had a much better second period, posting a CF% of 53.66 and an xG% of 51.78. They played an even period with San Jose in terms of the possession numbers, a positive sign for their finishing issue.
Third Period
After a strong second period, the Devils blew the doors off the game in the third frame. They were on the Sharks early and often, they simply couldn’t miss. Another unlikely goalscorer, Colin Miller, gave the Devils a three-goal lead at the 2:41 mark, wristing a shot from the blue line past Kahkonen.
Yet another defenseman, Brendan Smith, extended the lead to 5-1 minutes later at the 5:01 mark, clapping a beautiful one-timer from the blue line into the back of the net.
Dawson Mercer joined the party at the 6:57 mark, snapping a one-timer from the slot top shelf.
Nico Hischier secured the Devils’ touchdown with a goal of his own a minute later, cutting into the high slot and beating Kahkonen straight up.
With an embarrassing blowout on the way, Sharks’ coach David Quinn called timeout, more likely a teaching moment than a strategic decision. Whatever his intentions were, the Sharks could do little to avoid their fate. The Devils stopped scoring, mostly out of respect, and the Sharks cut the lead to five after Josh Bailey scored, throwing it on net and bouncing it off a couple of bodies to fool Daws.
The Devils dominated the third period, scoring a CF% of 68.1 and an xG% of 76.29.
Results
New Jersey absolutely needed that kind of win. It’s no exaggeration to say they at least preserved their season last night, not in terms of position in the standings but in their morale and mentality heading into the final stretch of the season. They looked like their shaky selves in the first period but put all those issues to rest in the next two periods, finishing every chance and keeping it tight on the rare occasions they found themselves in their own end. Tom Fitzgerald should look at this game closely when deciding whether to sell or buy at the trade deadline.
The Devils now own a record of 30-25-4 and sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the final divisional playoff spot and the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild-card spot.
Game Notes
Everyone Came to Play
There are so many interesting statistics whenever there’s a blowout, so we’ll run through them quickly:
- Nico Hischier had a fantastic game, scoring a goal and adding three assists. He passed 200 career assists on the Miller goal.
- Three defensemen scored, and none of them were offensive defensemen. Kevin Bahl scored his first of the year on a “why not try it,” slap shot. Colin Miller scored just his third goal of the year on his wicked wrist shot. Brendan Smith scored his third of the year on a classic blue-line slap shot. After the game, Nico Daws praised his defensemen, saying “I love [my] defensemen, so it’s great when they score.”
- Although he had his goal taken away by a challenge, Timo Meier still had a great night in his return to SAP Center, earning two assists and looking like the player New Jersey paid so much for last year. He posted a Game Score of 2.88. The whole second line played great, combining for eight points.
- Head coach Lindy Ruff had already confirmed that Jack Hughes wasn’t at full health, but he didn’t play like it, scoring a goal and two assists. He looked like his old quick and nimble self.
A Tale of Three Goalies
It’s weird to say in a game with nine goals, but the goaltenders made the difference. On the Devils’ end, Nico Daws had a very solid game, stopping 29 of 31 shots for a .935 save percentage (Sv%) and posting 1.31 goals saved above expected (GSAx). Early in the second period, Daws stopped a high-danger shot from Kevin Labanc, which could have turned the tide in San Jose’s favor permanently. Daws seems to have turned things around after two duds against Washington and New York.
The Sharks’ net, on the other hand, was chaotic. Mackenzie Blackwood had an epic first period before he got hurt, stopping 13 shots and holding firm against a relentless New Jersey power play. Then, Kappo Kahkonen came in and killed the Sharks’ hopes. He allowed seven goals on 31 shots for an abysmal .774 SV% and accrued -3.16 GSAx. Who knows what would have happened if Blackwood had stayed in the game?
Up Next
The Devils will have two days off before continuing this West Coast swing against the Ducks on Friday.