The New Jersey Devils defeated the Utah Hockey Club 3-1 on Saturday night in the Devils’ first trip to Salt Lake City. New Jersey came ready to play after a lackluster performance in Colorado and did a nice job limiting Utah’s chances. Additionally, Timo Meier finally broke through for a well-deserved goal, and some important depth players got their names on the scoresheet, hopefully a sign of things to come for the team. With the win, the Devils improved to 33-22-6 and swept the season series against Utah. With the loss, Utah fell to 27-25-9.
Game Recap
Period One
New Jersey had the early jump as the Devils funneled pucks toward the net, forcing Karel Vejmelka to make some big saves.
Utah got a good look off the rush after Jack Hughes blew a tire, but Nico Daws fought it off.
The Devils struck first, at 9:34, with a loose rebound buried by Nico Hischier for his 25th goal of the season and his 400th career point. Luke Hughes walked the blue line and got his shot through to earn a primary assist. Tomas Tatar also picked up a secondary assist.
New Jersey got the game’s first power play after Ondrej Palat was held, but they couldn’t extend their lead.
Brenden Dillon and Liam O’Brien got coincidental five-minute fighting majors after a scrap late in the period.
Dawson Mercer sprung Timo Meier on a clear-cut breakaway opportunity that was stoned by Vejmelka. Nate Bastian got a breakaway of his own that was also saved.
The Devils were tagged for holding with just under two minutes left in the frame but went into the intermission with a one-goal lead.
New Jersey outshot Utah 9-7 in the first 20 minutes.
Period Two
The Devils killed the rest of the penalty without allowing a shot.
Utah surged midway through the period and rang a shot off the post, but New Jersey defended the lead.
The Devils caught Utah in a change and got a great chance off the rush, but Vejmelka made a desperation save as the puck bounced around in front of the blue paint.
Utah got on the board at 10:03 with a goal from Mikhail Sergachev, who was left open in the slot. O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund tallied the assists.
New Jersey got a second power play opportunity after Dillon was tripped with under five minutes left in the frame. Luke Hughes took some awkward contact during the power play and went to the bench and eventually down the tunnel.
The Devils couldn’t regain their lead with the man advantage.
New Jersey outshot Utah 11-7 in the middle frame.
Period Three
Luke Hughes was back on the bench to begin the third period.
The Devils jumped back in front just 14 seconds into the frame with a snipe into the top far corner of the net by Meier, who snapped an eight-game goalless drought. Mercer added a primary assist for his first point since the break, and Johnathan Kovacevic recorded the secondary assist.
The Devils pressed just after the halfway point of the period and eventually cashed in at 12:44 on a quick shot by Curtis Lazar in his first game back in the lineup since being healthy-scratched for a few nights. Jack Hughes kept his road point streak alive with a primary assist and Bastian added the secondary assist.
Utah responded with a strong shift, and Daws made a perfect read to get across and rob Logan Cooley of a goal with a sparkling glove save.
Jack Hughes was called for a trip with under two minutes left in the game, giving Utah an opportunity for a two-man advantage with the power play and empty net.
The Devils killed the penalty to end the game and came away with two huge points in the standings.
New Jersey outshot Utah 29-25 in the contest.
Takeaways
Palate Cleanser
The Devils needed a bounce-back performance after a poor showing on Wednesday against the Avalanche, and they did exactly that. They allowed 12 fewer shots to Utah, indicative of a much stronger defensive performance. Simon Nemec especially had a good game, a needed improvement with Jonas Siegenthaler out for the time being. He made simple and smart decisions to keep the play in front of him and avoided “panic” moves that could leave the rest of the team scrambling.
Offensively, New Jersey got essential contributions from the bottom six. A lot of the Devils’ struggles revolve around the lack of depth scoring. Since the holiday break in December, they have relied on J. Hughes, Hischier, and Jesper Bratt to drive nearly all of their offense, which is not a good sign if they want to make a deep playoff run. In Utah, guys like Tatar, Mercer, Lazar, and Bastian found themselves on the scoresheet, giving New Jersey some desperately needed goal support.
While he isn’t considered a “depth player”, Meier got a well-deserved goal to snap his scoring drought and hopefully open the floodgates. He’s played at such a high level defensively and had tons of offensive opportunities but has been snake-bitten when it comes to finishing his chances. Last season, Meier had an otherworldly performance in March, scoring 13 goals and 20 points in 15 games. This season, he kicked off March with a beautiful goal for the first time in eight games, a great start as the Devils hope he can replicate his production from the year prior.
Daws Dazzles Again
With Jacob Markstrom out, Nico Daws has stepped up and put in some phenomenal work to back his team. He owns a perfect 3-0-0 record in his starts and has earned an impressive .966 SV%, including a 29-save shutout against the Nashville Predators. Against Utah, he made 24 saves for a .960 SV% and a 1.54 GSAx.
At just 24 years old, Daws looks like a great long-term candidate as the Devils’ starting netminder in the coming seasons.
Up Next
The road trip continues as the Devils look to string together two consecutive wins on Sunday night when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights.
This is the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Devils will look to have a much better effort against Vegas after losing the first contest 3-1 on February 6th in one of their worst defensive performances of the season.
The Golden Knights sit atop the Pacific Division with a 35-18-6 record, but they are just 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. Most recently, they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 7-5, in a high-scoring barnburner.
Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. EST on MSGSN and SCRIPPS.
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