The New Jersey Devils (24-21-2) fought through a gritty, back-and-forth hockey game to take down the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in overtime Wednesday night. New Jersey has now won back-to-back games, setting up a major contest on Saturday against Carolina.
Recap
First Period
The Devils came out firing in the opening period and quickly found the early lead. Dougie Hamilton’s shot got deflected on goal, and Cody Glass found the loose puck and put in the rebound. Glass’ 10th goal of the season gave the Devils the lead just 54 seconds into the game.
The Devils buckled down on defense for the next couple of minutes, but eventually a crack was found. Adam Larsson found some open space and ripped one by Jacob Markström. The former Devil’s wicked shot tied the game for Seattle.
The rest of the first was very uneventful, with just nine total shots throughout the entire frame. New Jersey went into intermission tied 1-1.
Second Period
The Devils’ power play went to work to begin the second period and, against the 32nd-ranked penalty kill, found the back of the net. Jack Hughes made a nice cross-ice pass to Nico Hischier, who wound up and let it rip. The captain beat Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer and gave New Jersey back the lead.
It didn’t last for long, though. A roughing call on Cody Glass led to a Seattle power play, and just five seconds in, Jared McCann found a juicy rebound and put it by Markström. The power-play goal for Seattle tied things under two minutes after the Devils took the lead.
New Jersey pushed hard toward the end of the period but to no avail. The Devils once again went into intermission tied, outshooting the Kraken 15-11.
Third Period
The third period was complete dominance by the Devils. They constantly had the puck in the offensive zone but struggled to find high-danger chances. However, they limited Seattle’s chances and took the game into overtime, securing a huge point.
Overtime
The Devils started overtime with the puck and, after a few looks from Jack Hughes, still couldn’t find the back of the net. After the pressure from the Devils, the game flashed before their eyes when a costly turnover behind the net set up Jordan Eberle in alone. However, the veteran forward barely missed wide of the net, and the Devils lived to see another day.
Jacob Markström followed that up with some big saves, and then, after a bad change from Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn, Nico Hischier found himself on a breakaway. The Devils captain beat Grubauer on the backhand to secure a huge victory for the Devils.
Game Notes
Is Dougie Back?
It seems Dougie Hamilton has taken being scratched very personally. Since missing the game against the Jets as a healthy scratch, Hamilton has played two of his better games all season. After a two-assist performance on Monday night, Hamilton registered another assist Wednesday night and a 65.71% Corsi-for percentage at five-on-five.
With all the trade speculation and drama surrounding Hamilton, the veteran defenseman has done a great job blocking out the noise and playing terrific hockey.
Start A Streak
Ever since Black Friday, the Devils have struggled to string together wins to get their season back on track. Saturday’s game against division rival Carolina will give New Jersey the perfect chance to do so. A win against the first-place team in the division would make it three in a row and give the Devils hope to find their way back into a playoff spot.
New Jersey, however, was in a scarily similar situation just a week-and-a-half ago. After back-to-back wins against Columbus and Utah, the Devils took on Carolina and laid a huge egg, losing 3-1. This was the start of a four-game losing streak that they have only just recently broken out of. Saturday’s game will give New Jersey another chance against a Hurricanes team that they can’t seem to beat.
What’s Next?
The Devils will host the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night at the Prudential Center.