The New Jersey Devils (40-15-5) defeated the Colorado Avalanche (34-20-5) 7-5 at Ball Arena last night. It was a roller coaster ride of a game, with both teams going on blistering goal-scoring runs. The momentum swung back and forth, but the pendulum swung back in New Jersey’s favor and they were able to hold onto the high-scoring win.
Game Summary
First Period
The Devils didn’t waste any time to start the game, scoring early and often. Ondrej Palat struck first, scoring off a great feed from Jesper Bratt at the crease. They didn’t let up the pressure after the quick goal, zipping the puck around the offensive zone with ease and stymying the red-hot Avs.
Nathan Bastian scored New Jersey’s second goal eight minutes into the period, relentlessly poking at a puck in the crease until it crossed the goal line. Colorado challenged for goaltender interference, but the call stood and they were assessed a two-minute bench minor for delay of game. The Devils weren’t done yet, they kept the pressure on and looked unstoppable in the offensive zone.
The top line scored again on a beautiful play, with Dawson Mercer passing it to Nico Hischier from the corner, who then fed it to a wide-open Tomas Tatar at the circle to blast it in. It was looking like one of the Devils’ best periods all season, but Nathan MacKinnon rained on the parade with a goal of his own with just seconds on the clock, making the score 3-1 going into the first intermission.
Second Period
The Devils weren’t done beating up on the Avalanche in the second period. Dougie Hamilton scored the Devils’ fourth goal of the night on a wicked wrister from the far circle. It was his 18th goal of the season, tying Scott Stevens’ franchise record for goals in a season by a defenseman.
Minutes later, Miles Wood one-timed an Erik Haula pass into the Avalanche net on the powerplay, giving the Devils a four-goal lead.
Things were looking good for the Devils, and it seemed like they were headed toward their second-straight blowout, but Colorado had other ideas. Less than two minutes after the Wood goal, Mikko Rantanen deflected a Josh Manson shot past Vitek Vanecek to cut the lead to 5-2. Soon after, Nathan MacKinnon marched into the offensive zone and shot one past a confused Vanecek to cut the lead to two. Just 30 seconds later, J.T. Compher skated in on a two-on-one, but shot it himself and scored to make it 5-4.
Desperately needing a momentum shift, Dawson Mercer came through at a crucial time. Late in the period, Ryan Graves made a great play to take the puck around the Avalanche net and send it to a waiting Mercer, who scored his ninth goal in seven games. He set a Devils’ record by scoring in seven straight games. Mercifully, the period ended with the Devils up by two.
Third Period
The drama wasn’t done yet, however, as the Avalanche jumped on the Devils 1:30 into the third period. Valeri Nichuskin scored on a rebound in the crease, but controversy surrounded the goal. Seconds earlier, John Marino got shaken up by a clear high stick, but the referees didn’t make a call and the Devils were essentially down a man when Colorado scored. That wasn’t all, because head coach Lindy Ruff challenged for offsides after the goal. It was an incredibly close call, but the call stood and it was 6-5. Ruff pulled Vanecek from the game after his fifth goal allowed, instead opting for backup Akira Schmid in the final stretch.
The game went back and forth after this, with both teams getting good chances. Akira Schmid made a few crucial stops, serving a key role in the final minutes. The Avalanche pulled goalie Justus Annunen, but Erik Haula got the puck immediately after, just missing the open net. A few minutes later, however, Nico Hischier tapped in an empty netter to ice the game. The Devils ended up winning the stress-inducing matchup 7-5.
Results
The Devils have had themselves quite the past couple of games. They destroyed the Flyers in possibly their best game of the season and just managed to edge the Avalanche in a tight matchup. In both contests, they scored seven goals. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and the Devils will hope for calmer seas ahead with Timo Meier’s debut on the horizon.
The Devils now hold a record of 40-15-5 and sit just one point behind the first-place Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division with 85, albeit with a game in hand.
Game Notes
Records Set All Around
On a crazy night for goal scoring, the Devils set or tied two team records. Dawson Mercer totaled his seventh-straight game with a goal. He had an exceptional night otherwise, notching four points.
Dougie Hamilton also tied Scott Stevens’ record for most goals in a season by a defenseman with 18.
Vanecek In a Slump
One player who hasn’t been shining over the Devils’ fantastic stretch is Vitek Vanecek. Last night, he allowed five goals on 19 shots for a .737 save percentage. It was his third-straight poor start. Akira Schmid has been lights out in Vanecek’s stead, shutting out the Flyers in his last start and shutting down the Avalanche in the third period last night.
Up Next
The Devils will look for their fourth-straight win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday at 10:00 PM EST.