On the back of Simon Nemec’s first career hat trick, the New Jersey Devils (12-4-1, first in the Metropolitan) took down the Chicago Blackhawks (8-5-4, fifth in the Central) 4-3 in overtime late Wednesday night. It was a crazy game all around, and a great way to start an extended road trip for the Devils.
First Period
The Devils had a strong start to the first period, holding Chicago to just two shots through the first 10 minutes. The Blackhawks got plenty of offensive zone time, but New Jersey’s defense did a good job of blocking shots and keeping the play on the perimeter.
Jesper Bratt nearly got the Devils on the board early, breaking free behind the defense and faking a shot, but Spencer Knight was equal to the task. Nico Hischier had another good chance a few minutes later while on the penalty kill, walking in two-on-one with Bratt, but whiffing on the shot.
Other than that chance, the Blackhawks played well on the power play, earning a whopping 1.14 expected goals (xG) over their two power plays. The latter turned into a five-on-three when Brendan Dillion laid a head-hunting hit on Tyler Bertuzzi that got called for boarding. The Devils came out looking for big hits on a young Blackhawks team, with a couple of big hits on their former first-overall pick, Connor Bedard.
The Hawks capitalized on the five-on-three, hemming the Devils’ killers into a tight box in the slot before Teuvo Teravainen teed up Bedard for an Ovechkin-style one-timer from the circle. Jacob Markström had a great sequence before the goal, but ultimately failed to get back into position for Bedard’s shot, which made him look like a fish out of water.
The Devils went into the locker room down 1-0 after a mixed period. They looked good over the first 15 minutes, but they took unnecessary penalties and couldn’t keep up with a strong Blackhawks power play. Additionally, the Devils took a beating in the opening frame, with both Zack MacEwen and Cody Glass going down with injuries.
Second Period
Cody Glass returned to the bench to start the second period, but MacEwen did not return. That flicker of hope was extinguished when Glass went back down the tunnel after a single shift. Paul Cotter took Glass’s spot on the Palat/Noesen line.
The Devils struggled to get anything going to start the period in the face of a tight Chicago defense. They did a good job of forcing turnovers and clearing the zone at the start of the period. Tyler Bertuzzi had a high-danger scoring chance off one of these turnovers, but Markström kept the Devils within one.
Jack Hughes used a burst of speed in the offensive zone to draw a hooking penalty on Wyatt Kaiser midway through the period. New Jersey didn’t get much done, getting stuck on the boards and only notching one shot on goal.
But the Devils flipped the script after the power play, tilting the ice with dangerous chances. Jack Hughes nearly scored on a clean breakaway, with Knight making a clutch save to keep the Hawks in front. Seconds later, Nico Hischier got a breakaway of his own, but Knight stood tall again.
The Devils finally cracked the scoreboard in the dying seconds of the period. Hischier motored into the offensive zone in transition, held the puck patiently, and dropped a pass to Simon Nemec, who ripped a wicked backhand shot past Knight to tie the game.
Despite a rough start to the period, the Devils changed the momentum in the second half, earning a 77.78 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 76.25 xG% at five-on-five. They held the Blackhawks shotless for the final ten minutes of the period.
Third Period
The Blackhawks came out swinging to start the third period. They got a good offensive zone shift in the opening minutes that culminated in a deflection goal from Landon Slaggert, caused by a bad turnover from Luke Hughes.
New Jersey came back strong after the Hawks’ second goal, with the Hischier line piling on the pressure across multiple shifts. But it would be the top line to tie it up on a cross-ice pass from Jack Hughes to Dawson Mercer, who ripped a one-timer past Spencer Knight to even the score at two apiece.
The Blackhawks retook control soon after, however, as an Arseny Gritsyuk turnover and a blown coverage by Luke Hughes led to a breakaway goal from Sam Lafferty. Jacob Markström looked shaken up after the goal, but stayed in the net and finished the game for New Jersey.
In yet another twist, the Devils tied it again, this time on a pretty passing play that saw the puck go tape-to-tape from Jack Hughes to Stefan Noesen, and finally to a waiting Simon Nemec, who pounced on it in the crease to make it 3-3. This would force the Devils’ fourth overtime game in a row.
Overtime
Both teams had some good looks to start the overtime period, but neither could get anything through on the opening shifts. Spencer Knight made a couple of key saves that allowed the Blackhawks to get down the ice.
It would be Simon Nemec to play the overtime hero, receiving a stretch pass from Luke Hughes to set up a breakaway goal to complete his first career hat trick.
Results
It was a wild night at the United Center, but Simon Nemec led New Jersey to a much-needed win at the start of a long road trip. Chicago battled all the way, and could have closed out the game on multiple occasions, but the Devils continued to grind as they have all season to score three game-tying goals and the overtime-winner.
Game Notes
- Simon Nemec scored his first career hat trick last night. He is the second Devils defenseman to complete a hat trick at age-21 or younger. Nemec has played excellently since Dougie Hamilton went down, stepping up with great moments and a heavy workload. He now has 12 points in 17 games.
- The Devils made a point to play physical hockey against Chicago out of the gate, with Brendan Dillion bullying Connor Bedard throughout the game. He laid down five of the team’s 19 hits, most of them on Bedard.
- Luke Hughes had a bad night overall, with multiple bad defensive miscues that led to a -2.31 Game Score. He redeemed himself in overtime, however, stretching a beautiful pass to Nemec to create the game-winner.
- Spencer Knight had a strong game in goal for Chicago despite a .892 SV%, making countless clutch saves, including a few on open breakaways, en route to 0.91 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
Up Next
The Devils will continue their road trip against the Washington Capitals at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday.
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