The New Jersey Devils took on the Edmonton Oilers for the second and final time this season. Thanks to a rapid third period comeback, the Devils notched a 3-2 victory. This is their third win in a row and extends their third-place Metropolitan Division standing to eight points.
Game Recap
First Period
The first half of the period did not result in a goal, but the Devils came out flying right from the start. The Oilers did a tremendous job of blocking shots, but the Devils played with tremendous speed and did a good job putting pressure on the Oilers’ defense.
The Oilers got into penalty trouble, but killed off two Devils power plays. Both goalies stood tall, both teams blocked shots, and the period ended scoreless.
The Devils took to the attack in the first period, and had just under six minutes of offensive zone time. The Oilers blocked eight shots in the first period, frustrating the Devils’ offense. The Devils controlled the pace of the period at five-on-five, out-attempting the Oilers 16-10.
Second Period
The Devils broke the ice and scored the first goal of the game. For his third of the season, Brett Pesce capitalized on a loose puck. After a shot from the blue line created a rebound, the loose puck was kicked over and Pesce made not mistake lighting the lamp.
However, at the 9:55 mark of the period, the Oilers tied the game. After the Devils failed to clear the puck out of the zone, the Oilers got to work. Connor McDavid fed a pass over to Leon Draisaitl, who fired a shot that slid through the arm of Jake Allen. The period ended and both teams were tied going into the third.
This was another period where the Devils kept the foot on the gas. They held the edge in shot attempts (22-12) and held the edge in expected goals 0.78-0.61. The ability to generate anything of quality was very little for both teams. Stuart Skinner made some very key saves in that period to help keep this game tied.
Third Period
The period was one where the Devils were slow to start. The Oilers came out flying in the opening minutes and Jake Allen came up big with a few key saves. With their relentless pressure, the Oilers grabbed the lead. With good puck cycling, McDavid sent a bounce pass off the boards to the blue line. Jake Walman then sent a pass to Evan Bouchard who fired a harmless shot that found its way past Allen.
Luckily, moments later the Devils responded. With good zone pressure, Jesper Bratt skated right into the slot and fired a shot that hit off an Oiler defenseman and slid past Skinner. The Devils continued their scoring push.
Moments after Bratt, Simon Nemec broke the tie and gave the Devils the lead. Bratt sent a pass over to Nemec, who fired a slap shot from the blue line and tucked it right inside the left post for the goal. Scoring two goals in a span of 1:35 was a great response after a sluggish start to the period.
Nemec with a blast to give the Devils the lead
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 14, 2025pic.twitter.com/Uwjkj5xMSz
The Devils kept pushing after the goal and managed to hold off a surge from the Oilers. When the horn sounded the Devils won the game 3-2, making this the third game of the year where they’ve come back being down in the third period.
The third period was Oilers despite the Devils emerging victorious. They heavily out-attempted the Devils 28-12 and outshot the Devils 19-6 during five-on-five play. The Oilers generated 2.1 expected goals during five-on-five, so Jake Allen was stellar in this third period.
Game Notes
- Cody Glass has been a noticeable player on the ice for the Devils. When on the ice, the Devils outshot the Oilers 11-5, and had an expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) of 55.17. He’s been great for depth and given the team a boost.
- Jake Allen put together a good start for the Devils. He stopped 1.1 goals saved above expected in the third period alone and 1.82 overall. He was perfect in the high-danger areas and finished with a .939 save percentage.
What’s Next?
The Devils take on the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm ET on ABC.