With a win last night, the New Jersey Devils improved to 9-3-0 on the season. The jubilant 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames means the Devils are on a six-game winning streak, their first in over a decade. Everything is going right for New Jersey.
First Period
The game started out with a bad omen: a Nazem Kadri goal just 80 seconds into the game. Deep in the Devils’ zone, the puck pinballed around the net dangerously before Trevor Lewis sent it to Kadri, after Damon Severson was able to cut down the pass, to draw first blood. It certainly was a night the veteran Severson would not want to remember.
A few minutes later, however, the Devils struck back with a Nathan Bastian goal made possible by a slick between-the-legs feed from Jack Hughes to the low slot. A few minutes after that, Fabian Zetterlund got on the board with a goal of his own. He was assisted by Nico Hischier, who had motored into the zone and kept control of the puck as he zipped around the boards to send a behind-the-back pass to Tomas Tatar and a waiting Zetterlund.
New Jersey kept pouring it on, this time with a Miles Wood goal that stemmed from a beautiful cross-ice pass by Michael McLeod to put it on a platter in front of the net. The Devils absolutely dominated the first period, accruing a 70.10 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%). They took a commanding 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
Second Period
The second frame went less smoothly for New Jersey. They first failed to capitalize on a Noah Hanifin penalty early on, and it went downhill from there. Soon after, they allowed the Flames to clear their own zone to create a 2-on-0 breakaway. Vanecek stopped the first shot from Hanifin, but Elias Lindholm buried the rebound to make it 3-2 Devils. No other goals were scored during the period, but the Devils had numerous high-quality chances they either whiffed on or failed to get past a dominant Jacob Markstrom. They finished the period with a lesser xGF% of 45.71 and a slimmer lead.
Third Period
The teams played a relatively even-paced third period, but it would once again be the Flames who prevailed. Early in the period, Blake Coleman took the puck into the Devils’ zone and made a sweet feed to Nikita Zadorov in the paint, who buried it to tie the game at 3-3.
Despite allowing Calgary to pull themselves back into the game, New Jersey did not collapse. In fact, the Devils created chance after chance, desperately chipping away at Markstrom’s resolve. One sequence in particular stood out: Jack Hughes split two Flames to go on a breakaway but got stopped. Jesper Bratt then got a chance of his own on the rebound, before it came back to Hughes at the point for a one-timer that didn’t go through.
Nevertheless, regulation ended at 3-3, forcing overtime.
Overtime
Just as overtime was getting underway, the Flames committed an egregious mistake: they took a penalty. The referee put his arm up and Vanecek raced to the bench to give the Devils a man advantage. They buzzed in and out of the zone, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Markstrom stopped the shot, however, and dumped it to his teammate to freeze play. Now, the Devils would have a four-on-three powerplay in overtime.
New Jersey kept on buzzing, biding its time for the perfect opportunity. Dougie Hamilton found it a minute into the power play, roping a cross-ice pass to Zetterlund, who buried the one-timer close-side to win the game.
Results
With that win, the Devils went 3-0-0 on their Western Canada trip, 6-0-0 in their last six, and 9-1-0 in their last ten. As of now, they have the third-highest amount of points in the NHL.
The Devils now hold a record of, you read that right, 9-3-0 and are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Flames, on the other hand, have now lost four straight. They are 5-4-1 and sit in fifth place in the Pacific Division.
Game Notes
Zetterlund Comes Up Clutch
Fabian Zetterlund was named the First Star of the game and for good reason. He scored two key goals, the goal that gave Jersey a 3-1 lead and, of course, the overtime winner. Both goals came from smart playmaking from Hischier and Hamilton, respectively, who made great passes to a wide-open Zetterlund.
The young Swede has ramped up as of late, now with four points in seven games. He can expect even more high-leverage playing time with the injury of Ondrej Palat.
Bend, Don’t Break
Early in the season, Ken Danyeko called the Devils a “different kind of team,” and it’s not hard to see why. In other years, the team may have given up or imploded when confronted with a comeback from their opponent. Now, however, they rise to the challenge and remain resilient. They don’t slip, they keep their momentum and focus on getting good looks.
Up Next
The Devils will take on the Flames again this Tuesday at 7:00 P.M. ET.