The eleventh time is a charm. In the second game of a back to back set, the New Jersey Devils (27-21-4) had a record of 1-8-1, but they finally turned the tides. After a strong victory against the Seattle Kraken, the Devils marched down to Nashville and secured a victory.
They met up against old friend Andrew Brunette and defeated the Predators 4-2. It was a grind of a victory as the Devils mounted a comeback. It was a crucial two points for New Jersey as they continue their march up the standings.
Game Recap
First Period
Like majority of the games this season, the Devils surrendered the first goal of the game. It came on the power play and was scored by newcomer Ryan O’Reilly. Off a great passing play, Cody Glass deflected the puck right to O’Reilly who punched it past Nico Daws. The power play generated great chances and the Predators made no mistake to capitalize. The Devils would get their looks but could not solve Jusse Saros. The horn would sound and the Devils would be down 1-0.
Nashville was dominant with their power play. They generated ten shot attempts and managed to get five shots on goal. Aside from that, the Devils had a very strong period when the game was played at five-on-five. The Devils controlled the shot attempts (36-14) and outshot the Predators 20-7. At even strength was a strong period that the team could build off of.
Second Period
The second period started off with a tally by the Devils. Jack Hughes scored a goal in his second-straight game and his 17th of the year. He skated in uncontested and ripped a shot off the post that bounced off Saros and into the net.
However, the Predators would respond quickly after. A perfect pass sprung Tommy Novak and he buried the puck past Daws on the breakaway. It was a back and forth period and both teams would continue to add to the scoreboard. The horn sounded and the Devils found themselves again 2-1.
This period was more tightly-contested. The Devils controlled the shot attempts but the shots on goal were much closer (9-8) as well as the scoring chances (11-7). Also, the expected goals share belonged to the Devils but was still closer (1.29-1.23).
Third Period
Just like the second, the Devils found a way to get the tying goal. After winning a puck battle along the boards, Ondrej Palat found Jesper Bratt who ripped a shot from the middle of the slot to tie the game. It was the Devils period the rest of the way. Late in the period, Timo Meier crashed the front of the net and punched home the loose puck. Nico Hischier punched home the goal on the empty net and the Devils would win the game 4-2.
The Devils played a strong dominant period in the third and pushed back when being down. They controlled possession at five on five and out attempted the Predators 25-17. Furthermore, they outshot the Predators 11-5 and controlled the expected goals share 2.01-0.27. A great period by the Devils and a large reason for winning this game.
Wrap Up
The Devils officially broke the curse and won a game in the second of a back-to-back set. They got steady goaltending from Nico Daws and had four different players score goals. It was great to see Timo Meier get the game-winning goal, as his play last night was terrific. A huge two points for the Devils as they continue to make their playoff push.
Game Notes
- This was a dominant offensive performance for the Devils, especially when the game was played at five-on-five. One area the Devils thrived in was the high-danger area. Throughout the game, the Devils out attempted the Predators 22-9. Also, the Devils had two of their four goals from the area, so this was great especially against Saros who was playing extremely well.
- Another strong game for Nico Daws. After getting the win last night, he got the nod tonight against the Predators. Daws stopped 30 of 32 and finished with a .938 save percentage. He also finished with 1.34 goals saved above expected and stopped 10 of 11 shots he faced in the high-danger area of the ice. It is great the Devils are getting solid goaltending from him and helping secure four points in the last two games.
What’s Next?
The Devils return home and will play the Los Angeles Kings Thursday.