What a huge victory it was for the New Jersey Devils (32-30-4) on Thursday night. With the club still clinging to playoff hopes, they stormed into Dallas and took the two points for themselves. After a tough defeat to the Rangers, the Devils won convincingly, 6-2.
Jake Allen shined in his debut, and finally settled in after the opening frame. Depth was the star of this show, as the Devils had numerous depth players score goals for them tonight. It was a huge two points for the Devils, as they now sit four points back of the second wild card spot.
Game Recap
First Period
The opening frame saw alot of goals, with each team lighting the lamp twice. As more often than not, the Devils allowed the opening goal. In the opening 15 seconds, Wyatt Johnston entered the zone and cut down the middle of the ice and put a shot past Jake Allen to open the scoring.
Fortunately, Erik Haula would help even the score, forcing a turnover and then driving to the net to shoot it past Jake Oettinger. Moments later, the Stars would respond, as Craig Smith fired a shot from a wide angle that took a funny bounce off Allen’s skate and went it. As resilient after the first goal, the Devils responded once again. From behind the goal, Chris Tierney scored to tie the game at two. When the horn sounded, that’s where the two teams would be.
The score may have been tied but the Devils got heavily outplayed by the Stars at five-on-five. The Stars offense heavily out-attempted the Devils 21-9 but shots on goal were close (7-6). It was a lower-event period, with the Stars holding a slight edge in the expected goals share 0.64-0.63. Both teams clearly exceeded those expectations that period.
Second Period
The second period was all Devils to start. After tying the game in the later stages of the first period, the Devils scored two goals to extend the lead. After good puck movement down low, Dawson Mercer roofed a shot past Oettinger to make it 3-2. Moments later, it was Timo Meier’s turn. After a simple dump in, Jesper Bratt found Meier, who ripped a perfectly placed shot past Oettinger.
Right after Oettinger got pulled, Tomas Nosek fired a harmless shot for his first of the season to make it 5-2. The horn would sound and the Devils would take a commanding lead to the third period.
The Stars still held the edge in shot attempts (18-13) and outshot the Devils 10-7 when the game was played at five on five. One area the Devils got the better of the Stars was the high-danger area, allowing one attempt and firing four. The Devils dominated the scoreboard this period and controlled the expected goals share 0.86-0.75.
Third Period
The bleeding would continue, as the Devils poured it on. In the later stages of the third period, Alexander Holtz scored his second goal in 23 games. After a strong forecheck effort by Meier, a loose puck in front of the net was pounced on by Holtz who made it 6-2. The Devils managed to lock things down and when the horn sounded, they skated away with the two points.
Wrap Up
The Devils walked away with a statement victory. Jake Allen was stellar, stopping 36-straight shots and gave the team a fighting chance to win. The Devils chased Jake Oettinger, scoring four goals on nine shots on net. Depth was at the forefront, getting goals from Haula, Tierney, Mercer, Meier, Nosek, and Holtz. A huge victory and a big two points, as the playoff race is near.
Game Notes
- Jake Allen was sensational in his first start for the Devils. After the first period, he got settled in and made numerous key saves the rest of the way. He finished the game with a .947 save percentage and a 2.32 goals saved above expected. It was a breath of fresh air to get this type of goaltending.
- Timo Meier continues his “March Madness”. In tonight’s game, he scored one goal and got the assist on the Holtz goal. He now has eight goals and ten points in the month of March and he’s currently playing his best stretch of hockey.
What’s Next?
The Devils take the ice on Saturday evening against the Arizona Coyotes at 5:00 pm ET.