The New Jersey Devils (18-13-2) came out of the Christmas break with a victory. Also, they spoil Damon Severson’s homecoming party. In a back and forth affair, the Devils emerged victorious 4-3 as the game trickled into overtime.
It was a game filled with dramatics towards the end, making for an exciting matchup. This was a huge two points for the Devils and a great victory coming out of the break.
Game Recap
First Period
In typical Devils’ fashion this season, the first goal of the game was scored by the opposing team. After generating chances early on against Columbus, the Devils found themselves trailing.
After a great forechecking effort by the Blue Jackets, a Brendan Gaunce shot created a rebound. It was a poor rebound given up by Vitek Vanecek and Jake Bean made no mistake ripping the shot top shelf.
New Jersey would respond and tie the game up. After killing the high-sticking penalty taken by Ondrej Palat, the Devils went to work. On a beautifully executed passing play, Palat buried a shot from the slot to tie the game. The horn would sound and both teams would head to the second period tied at one.
Despite ending the period tied, the Devils came out flying in the opening frame. At five on five, they dominated the period and finished with a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 63.64. Furthermore, they outshot Columbus 8-4 and controlled the expected goals share 0.82-0.23. A great start for the Devils coming right out of the break.
Second Period
The second period would start the same way that the first period did. Columbus would strike first and break the tie. After a shot from the blue line made its way through, Justin Danforth redirected the puck past Vanecek to take the lead.
New Jersey would generate great chances but Elvis Merzlikins slammed the door shut. A late power play did not help the Devils tie the game and the teams would head to the third period with Columbus being up 2-1.
The second period was not for a lack of effort or trying but more of Columbus getting excellent goaltending. Numerous occasions Merzlikins came up to make the big save. At five on five, the Devils put forth a stronger effort and controlled the pace of the period. They dominated the expected goals share (1.29-0.63) and did a good job getting to the high danger area of the ice. New Jersey held a slight edge in shot attempts (53.13 CF%) and did a great job sustaining offensive pressure.
Third Period
In a period where you needed the tying goal, the Devils weren’t playing their best hockey. However, they finally broke through and at the end of the period. After entering the zone successfully, Dawson Mercer ripped a one time blast past Merzlikins.
The back and forth affair would continue the rest of the way, making for a very entertaining ending. Columbus would respond, as Yegor Chinakhov slid a puck past Vanecek. New Jersey got the tying goal once again off a great individual effort by Luke Hughes. The period would end in dramatic fashion and each team would gain a point.
The third period was among the worst played by the Devils. Columbus controlled the shot attempts (18-11) but only outshot the Devils 9-8. The expected goals share was fairly even (0.66-0.65 NJ) and each team got rewarded for their efforts.
Overtime
The Devils capped off a dramatic third period in thrilling fashion. After the puck took a bounce over the Columbus skater, Timo Meier skated in on a breakaway. He slid the puck through the five hole of Merzlikins, sending Devils fans home happy.
Game Notes
- What a game for Dawson Mercer. He finished the game with one goal and two assists and was a huge factor in this victory. Aside from his individual stats, Mercer was impactful when on the ice. He finished the game with a 65.52 CF%, and shot attempts were in the team’s favor 19-10. New Jersey was outshooting the Blue Jackets 12-2 and he accounted for 1.37 expected goals for (xGF). This was a huge game for Mercer and he made his impacts known when he was on the ice.
- The Devils may have something with the line of Michael McLeod, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer. They were an impactful line and did a great job generating chances. As a line, they controlled the play and finished with a CF% of 61.11 and outshot Columbus 7-1. The trio did not account for a goal tonight, but among all Devils lines they finished with the most expected goals (0.83) and did a great job suppressing the opposition (0.16 expected goals against). It is a great line to have from a depth perspective and was clicking in this game.
What’s Next?
The Devils hit the road for a set of back-to-back games and take on the Ottawa Senators Friday night.