The New Jersey Devils (9-5-2) defeated the Montreal Canadiens (4-8-2) 5-3 on Thursday night. With the win, New Jersey has won four of its last five games. The Devils sit tied for first in the Metropolitan division with 20 points, although they have played four more games than the Hurricanes.
Game Summary
First Period
It was a great start for New Jersey with Jesper Bratt opening the scoring just 93 seconds in. The Swedish forward had a tap-in from the front of the net after Jack Hughes danced through the Montreal defense and slid a beautiful pass across the face of goal.
Montreal had a chance for a quick response, though. Jonathan Kovacevic and Jesper Bratt each took a penalty three minutes apart, but the Devils killed off both power plays. The closest the Canadiens came was a Mike Matheson point wrister that hit the outside of the post.
With the contest back to five-on-five, New Jersey once again got on the front foot. After a takeaway on the forecheck, Jack Hughes found Ondrej Palat just inside the circle, who rifled a wrister past Sam Montembeault to double the lead. Palat’s second of the year made it 2-0 New Jersey with 7:30 left in the frame.
In the first, shots were 8-7 Devils. New Jersey posted a 42.42 Corsi-for (CF%) and a 59.76 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five.
Second Period
The Canadiens found a foothold back into the game five minutes into the second. After a turnover in the neutral zone, Alex Newhook received a drop pass from Jake Evans and fired a snap shot through Jacob Markstrom. The New Jersey lead was cut to 2-1.
Montreal nearly tied it five minutes later, but Markstrom came up with some big saves in close. The Devils came down the other way, and after Paul Cotter won a board battle, Erik Haula found Jonas Siegenthaler creeping down into the slot. Siegenthaler went five-hole for his first of the season and restored the two-goal cushion midway through the period.
It appeared to be heading into intermission at 3-1, but in the final minute, Brendan Gallagher made it a 3-2 game. The 32-year-old beat both Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton to a rebound off a Josh Anderson one-timer and squeezed it past Markstrom to halve the deficit.
In the second, shots were 9-8 in favor of New Jersey. At five-on-five, the Devils registered a 53.13 CF% and a 49.93 xGF%.
Third Period
In the third, Montreal was looking for an equalizing goal. The best chance the Canadiens had was an Emil Heineman slot shot that whistled high and wide and rimmed all the way out to the neutral zone.
There it was met by Jesper Bratt who slid a beautiful backhand pass to Jack Hughes who finished past Montembeault. It was Hughes’ third point of the night, making it 4-2 New Jersey with 13 minutes to play.
However, Montreal had another quick response. With the Devils caught in a bad change, Alex Newhook burst through the middle of the ice, driving straight to the net. Dougie Hamilton could only get a piece of his shot, which ramped over Markstrom, making it a 4-3 game with 11 minutes remaining.
Canadiens head coach, Martin St. Louis, pulled Montembeault for an extra attacker with two minutes to go. Montreal had some extended zone time, but ultimately, with 40 seconds to go, a Jack Hughes hit on Mike Matheson jarred the puck free at the blue line. Jesper Bratt picked it up and hit the empty net, sealing a 5-3 Devils win.
In the third, shots were 10-9 Devils. At five-on-five, New Jersey posted a 47.62 CF% and a 56.41 xGF%.
Wrap-Up
For the game, the Devils outshot the Canadiens 27-24. Meanwhile, at five-on-five, New Jersey registered a 47.67 CF% and a 55.14 xGF%.
Jacob Markstrom got the win for New Jersey. He stopped 21 of 24 shots, allowing 0.79 goals above expected.
Game Notes
Hughes Line Dominant
It was a very impressive night for the line of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Ondrej Palat, both on the scoresheet and in terms of possession metrics.
Both Hughes and Bratt tallied three point nights, but the trio also posted a 72.00 CF% and a 58.79 xGF% in over 10 minutes of ice time together. The Devils also had a 9-4 edge in scoring chances with this line on the ice.
Strong Night From Siegenthaler-Kovacevic Pairing
Speaking of impressive performances, it was another solid showing from the Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic defensive pair. Beyond Siegenthaler’s crucial goal, the duo both finished with an xGF% north of 60.00 in over 16 minutes of five-on-five action. They were the only New Jersey defensemen to do so in the win.
Tough Game For Third Line
Despite a very strong forecheck to set up the Siegenthaler goal, the third line of Erik Haula, Paul Cotter, and Stefan Noesen struggled to tilt the ice on Thursday.
In 10 minutes of five-on-five ice time together, the trio finished with a 35.86 xGF%, the only New Jersey forward line below a 57.13 xGF%. However, this line has been solid for most of the year, so there is no need to panic after one difficult performance.
What’s Next
The Devils head back on the road to take on the New York Islanders on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.