The New Jersey Devils (38-28-7) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks (21-42-9) on Wednesday night. With the win, New Jersey moved nine points ahead of the chasing Islanders and Rangers for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Game Summary
First Period
After a slow start, it was New Jersey that opened the scoring six minutes in. Nathan Bastian was left alone on the backdoor and stashed home his fourth of the season off a slick feed from Luke Hughes.
Just 22 seconds after Bastian’s goal, New Jersey went to the game’s first power play. Dawson Mercer drove to the net and the puck slid past Spencer Knight just five seconds into that man advantage.
Chicago answered back though. After a Simon Nemec penalty, Dawson Mercer was stick-lifted by Ryan Donato to prevent a clearing attempt. Donato fed Tyler Bertuzzi in front, making it a 2-1 game nine minutes in.
The second half of the period was much less eventful with the two teams combining for four shots on net.
After one, it was 2-1 New Jersey with the Devils up 7-5 in shots. At five-on-five, the Devils posted a 58.06 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 78.69 expected goals-or percentage (xGF%).
Second Period
Early in the middle frame, Chicago had an early power play after Erik Haula took a questionable tripping penalty.
It was the Devils, though, who took advantage. Jesper Bratt led a two-on-two and dropped a pass to Ondrej Palat. Palat ripped a wrister over Knight’s left shoulder for his 14th tally of the season. The shorthanded goal made it 3-1 Devils three minutes into the period.
Once again, the Blackhawks had an answer. Two minutes after the Palat shorty, Ilya Mikheyev made it a 3-2 game after picking up a deflected cross-seam pass and beating Markstrom over the glove.
Chicago thought they had tied it just moments later, but Ryan Donato’s deflection goal was waved off for high-sticking after review.
The Devils settled down after the disallowed goal and went back to the power play after Landon Slaggert was called for roughing Simon Nemec. On the second man advantage, Dawson Mercer ripped a shot off the post and in, making it 4-2 Devils with nine minutes to play in the period.
Mercer’s second goal of the game was good for his 17th of the season. On the goal, Luke Hughes picked up his third helper of the night while Jesper Bratt picked up his second. Bratt’s second assist was his 84th point of the season, setting a new career-high.
Similarly to the first period, the game stagnated a bit in the latter half of the period. When the horn sounded for the second intermission, New Jersey was still holding that 4-2 lead.
In the second, shots were 7-6 in favor of New Jersey while the Devils registered a 42.31 CF% and a 67.59 xGF% at five-on-five.
Third Period
For the most part, the Devils did a good job of keeping the third period low-event, especially after having recent struggles protecting third period leads.
In the first half of the period, the Devils controlled the play, forcing Spencer Knight into a few saves, but eventually the Blackhawks ramped up the pressure.
With just over four minutes to play, Chicago pulled Knight for the extra attacker. The Blackhawks got back into the game with 2:50 to go after Frank Nazar stashed home a rebound in front.
Knight returned to the net while Connor Bedard and the top attackers got a rest, but the Blackhawks pulled him once again with 1:50 to play.
There were a few nervy moments down the stretch, especially when Timo Meier missed the empty net, but ultimately, Stefan Noesen put the game away with an empty net goal and New Jersey held on for a 5-3 win.
In the third, shots were 13-6 Blackhawks. New Jersey put up a 52.00 CF% and a 56.36 xGF% at five-on-five.
Wrap-Up
For the game, the Devils were outshot 24-20. However, New Jersey did manage a 51.22 CF% and a 68.14 xGF%.
Jacob Markstrom stopped 21 of 24 shots against in the win, allowing 1.57 goals above expected.
As mentioned earlier, Jesper Bratt set a new career-high with his 84th point of the season while Luke Hughes’ three-assist night tied a career-best.
Game Notes
Strong Night From Fourth Line
Head coach Sheldon Keefe shook up his forward lines for Wednesday’s game, and it paid off for the trio of Nathan Bastian, Tomas Tatar, and Curtis Lazar. The trio finished with a stellar 96.50 xGF% in 9:40 of five-on-five ice time.
Most impressively, this line completely stifled the Blackhawks, holding Chicago to just 0.01 expected goals in that time.
Brett Pesce
Almost all of the Devils finished the night with an excellent xGF%, but it was Brett Pesce who led the way on the blue line. The 30-year-old defenseman finished the contest with a 78.27 xGF% in over 18 minutes of five-on-five action.
Furthermore, the Devils had an 11-5 edge in scoring chances with Pesce on the ice. This was especially encouraging since it was a strong bounceback effort from Pesce who struggled on the shift leading to Vancouver’s tying goal on Monday.
Special Teams
Despite allowing a power play goal to Chicago, the Devils dominated special teams on Wednesday. The New Jersey power play connected on both opportunities, needing just 29 seconds to net a pair of goals.
The penalty kill was able to make amends for the power play goal against as well, when Ondrej Palat buried a shorthanded goal in the second. On that second power play, New Jersey held Chicago to just one shot that generated just 0.03 expected goals.
Obviously, with the injuries New Jersey is currently dealing with, the Devils need to win the special teams battle most nights. On Wednesday, they finished plus-two in a 5-3 victory.
What’s Next
The Devils continue this road trip in Winnipeg on Friday night. Puck drop between the Devils and Jets is set for 8:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.