Looking to break a four-game losing streak, the New Jersey Devils (23-21-2, 6th Metropolitan) took out their frustration on the Minnesota Wild (26-12-9, 3rd Central) with a commanding 5-2 win Monday night.

First Period

The Devils came out flat-footed to start the game. Minnesota hemmed them into their zone and held them shotless for the first half of the period. It was clear that the Wild had their legs under them while the Devils were carrying some baggage from the past few games.

But it would be the Devils who would find the back of the net first. 10 minutes into the period, Nico Hischier made a good forechecking play below the net, skated it away from two chasing Wild, and passed it to a waiting Dawson Mercer, who sniped it from the hashes. He scored on the Devils’ first shot of the night.

Momentum favored the Devils after the Mercer goal. Minnesota made a few unforced errors that allowed the Devils to escape their zone and put on some pressure. Once they finally got an extended offensive shift, Marcus Foligno took a tripping call in the offensive zone to give the Devils their first power play of the night. 

New Jersey struggled in the first half of their man advantage, with weak passes and failed zone entries. They came back at the Wild later in the power play, putting three shots on goal, with Hischier getting a dangerous chance, but failing to score. The Devils continued to roll to end the first period, but couldn’t score another. They carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, outshooting the Wild 8-6 despite a slow start.

Second Period

The Wild came out flying to start the second period, and the Devils got a few lucky breaks to keep the game tied. Matt Boldy had a high-danger chance off a rebound that had Jacob Markström out of position, but Markström stuck out his glove to make a superb save. Later, Vladimir Tarasenko missed what would have been a sure goal on an empty net. 

The Devils continued to work hard on defense throughout the period, but they could only hold Minnesota off for so long. The Wild hemmed the Devils into their defensive zone on an extended shift. With tired legs for New Jersey, Marcus Johansson tapped his stick on the ice to call for the puck and wristed it on net. It tipped off Ryan Hartman in front of the net and sailed past Markstrom to tie the game.

The Devils seemed to be limping to the second intermission, trying to keep the game tied, but they got an extended shift in Minnesota’s zone at the end of the period. It would be Hischier again to make the hard-working play. He battled for the puck behind the net, tried a backhander, and sent it to Ondrej Palat, who scored his first goal in 20 games to give the Devils the lead. It wasn’t the smoothest period, but the Devils worked hard and went into the third period up 2-1.

Third Period

In the third period, Luke Hughes made a strong drive to the net off the faceoff and collected his own rebound. His brother Quinn took an interference call on Dawson Mercer in the process, handing the Devils another power play. They didn’t score, but they got some solid chances in on Jesper Wallstedt.

The floodgates finally opened for the Devils a few minutes into the period. Dougie Hamilton wisely pinched up to create a two-on-one, patiently waited for Jesper Bratt, and passed it to him. Bratt didn’t miss his chance, scoring to put the Devils up 3-1. Hamilton and Bratt connected again on the very next shift, with Bratt deflecting a Hamilton shot to give the Devils a 4-1 lead. 

Ondrej Palat scored his second goal of the game a couple of minutes later, burying a Mercer pass in the crease to break the game open at 5-1. The game was pretty much over after Palat’s goal, but the Devils still worked hard to bury Minnesota after so many losses. It was a strong effort throughout the period, and the game as a whole, despite a late goal from Foligno to make it 5-2.

Results

Last night was a weight off the Devils’ shoulders. They were at rock bottom coming into a game against a power in the Western Conference, the same one that stole Quinn Hughes from their grasp. They took out their frustration on Minnesota, showing resilience and defiance in the process. 

Game Notes

• Dougie Hamilton had a great game in his return to the lineup, notching two assists to go alongside a 4.96 Game Score.
• Ondrej Palat scored twice, getting the monkey off his back after a scoring drought dating back to December 1.
• Despite giving up a late goal, Jacob Markström had a strong bounce-back game after allowing nine goals against the Islanders last week. He earned a .909 save percentage and 0.57 goals saved above expected. 
• Nico Hischier had a strong effort with two hard-working assists. He also provided some excellent defense and transition play, which resulted in the first Bratt goal.
• The Devils finally finished their chances last night, earning a shooting percentage of 17.24 after shooting 5.26% since December 1.

Up Next

The Devils will head home to take on the Kraken Wednesday night at the Prudential Center.