Thursday night, the New Jersey Devils won their second-straight game in dominant fashion against the Winnipeg Jets. After scoring first, the team scored two of the next three, setting up the win. The Devils improve to a record of 34-32-4 and sit at sixth in their division.
Recap
Period One
The first period of this game was a grudge match, with neither team recording a shot in the first five minutes. The first chances on net for both teams however were good ones. Timo Meier laid a beautiful lob pass on the money to Nico Hischier who was robbed by Laurent Brossoit on the breakaway. Going the other way, former Devil Tyler Toffoli sent a nice pass to Nik Ehelrs who was denied in tight by Jake Allen.
Later in the period the Jets would get a pair of power plays in which they would only record one shot on each. The Devils would hold on to end the first and the game would stay 0-0.
Period Two
The Devils would play very well to start period number two, with Jack Hughes especially whipping a couple shots on net. The Devils’ play would eventually get them a power play of their own which they capitalized on. Jack Hughes picked up a second rebound and fired it nearside past Brossoit to put New Jersey up one.
The Devils would get a second power play which was a good one despite not scoring. Shortly after, however, the Devils would send out their fourth line against the Jets first and it did not end well. Ehlers easily walked past a flailing Brendan Smith and ripped a shot by Jake Allen to tie the game. That 1-1 score would stand as the second period ended.
Period Three
The domination continued into the third period for the Devils as they would pressure in the offensive zone to start. This would eventually lead to another power play for New Jersey. The Devils got their chance and scored in the waning seconds. Nico Hischier tipped a Timo Meier shot past Brossoit to give the Devils the lead back.
The Devils would contain the Jets and get chances of their own which eventually led to another power play and another goal. Jack Hughes scored again through a double screen to put the Devils up two. The Jets would pull the goalie and get a couple decent chances before Timo Meier put it away. The Devils won their second consecutive game by three goals, this time 4-1.
Game Notes
Is the Power Play Back?
As many Devils fans know the Devils power play has been abysmal since the new year. Over the past two games, however, it has been clicking. Specifically, the Devils have had exactly 10 minutes of power play time over the last two games and in that time have collected 2.46 expected goals (xG). They’ve also scored five actual goals in that span on seven attempts which is a 71.4% rate.
The top unit is rotating and interchanging nicely while also just being crisper with their passes and more poised in general. If the power play can play like this the rest of the season, it will help the Devils playoff chances.
Best Game of the Season
In the third period of the game MSG analyst Ken Daneyko called this the Devils best game of the season. I’m not sure that is true but it was certainly a good one. At five-on-five the Devils held a 54.76 corsi-for percentage (CF%) and 69.36 expected goals percentage (xG%).
At all strengths their xG% jumps up to 73.57% with only 1.66 expected goals against (xGA). The latter number is despite the Jets’ four power plays plus about two minutes of 6-on-5 for the Jets.
While it might not be the Devils best game overall, there’s an argument for it being their best defensive game. This especially given the pedigree of their opponent.
What’s Next
The Devils welcome in the Ottawa Senators on Saturday to the Prudential Center for a 7:00 pm ET puck drop.