The New Jersey Devils are back on top of the NHL standings. This courtesy of a defeat of the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 3-0 in dominant fashion.
Vitek Vanecek got the nod and secured his second shutout victory of the season. New Jersey had three different goal scorers as the big guns took care of the job.
The win streak continues as they now have won their third game in a row and extended their lead in the Metropolitan Division.
Game Summary
First Period
The first goal of the game in the first period belonged to the New Jersey Devils. On a dominant shift by Jack Hughes, he danced his way through four Chicago defenders to set up Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton received a pass for the one-timed blast to give the team the lead. The Devils took a 1-0 lead to the second period.
Second Period
The Devils continued their dominance and would build upon their lead. After being denied on a two-on-one Nico Hischier finally cashed in. Maintaining puck possession after the first scoring attempt, Jonas Siegenthaler found Hischier for the one-timed blast that made it 2-0.
The Devils did not stop there as they capitalized further on their lead. On their second power play of the period, Hughes found Jesper Bratt on a cross-ice pass. Bratt went top shelf for the goal. They would hang on and take a 3-0 lead into the third period.
Third Period
There was no change this period. The Devils continued to dominate the game and control the pace. Though, no goals were scored. When the horn sounded, the Devils secured the two points and would win the game 3-0.
Wrap Up
The New Jersey Devils won their second game in a row. Three different goal scorers were in this game and two would go on to have multi-point games. Jack Hughes finished with two assists and Dougie Hamilton had one goal and two assists.
Game Notes
- Vitek Vanecek played fantastic. He stopped all 24 shots he faced, with six coming from the high-danger area. He finished the game with 1.68 goals saved above expected.
- Dougie Hamilton was buzzing from puck drop. Aside from his three-point game, he finished with a Corsi-for percentage of 76.09 (led all defensemen).
- Jack Hughes continues his point streak. He is now up to 10 points in his last six games.
What’s Next?
The New Jersey Devils return to the ice Friday night against the New York Islanders.