The New Jersey Devils defeated the Nashville Predators 5-0 on Sunday evening in Nashville. The Devils generated a lot of offense and, most importantly, capitalized on their opportunities in a refreshing performance after losing to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. At the other end of the ice, Nico Daws had a fabulous performance in net to blank the Predators. With the win, the Devils improved to 31-21-6 and reached the 70-point mark on the season. With the loss, the Predators dropped to 20-29-7.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils had the early jump but took a hooking penalty that sent them to the penalty kill.
New Jersey killed the penalty, and Nico Daws made two saves.
Nashville had a rush opportunity, but Timo Meier made a strong play to get back and eliminate the chance.
Jack Hughes had a rush opportunity of his own that was fought off by Justus Annunen. He had another clear-cut breakaway that was also saved.
The Devils kept the pressure on with a two-on-one break, but the pass never connected.
New Jersey took a delay of game penalty but successfully killed it.
The Devils broke through at 13:45 with a goal from Ondrej Palat, parked at the net front. Luke Hughes earned a primary assist with a beautiful pass through traffic to find Palat. Dougie Hamilton added a secondary assist.
Palat and Hamilton each tallied their respective 500th career NHL points on the play.
Filip Forsberg got a breakaway opportunity, but Daws came up huge to protect New Jersey’s lead.
The Devils surged in the dying second of the period but couldn’t extend their lead.
The Devils outshot Nashville 12-7 in the first 20 minutes.
Period Two
The teams exchanged good chances to open the second, but both goaltenders made the saves.
Nashville had another look, and Seamus Casey made a strong stick play to clear the front.
Nico Hischier was stoned on a breakaway attempt and Nashville answered with its own breakaway that was snagged by Daws.
Following a rush, Hamilton extended New Jersey’s lead with a top-corner snipe at 9:14. Hischier and Jesper Bratt added the assists.
At 14:28, the Devils grabbed a three-goal lead thanks to Casey, who scored his fourth goal in just nine NHL games as a rookie. Luke and Jack Hughes had the assists.
Jack Hughes had another breakaway attempt but couldn’t solve Annunen. Hamilton got a great shot off the rebound that was also saved.
The Devils outshot the Predators 14-8 in the middle frame.
Period Three
The Devils got an early power play after Brenden Dillon was cross-checked. After Hischier rang a shot off the pipe, the Devils cashed in at 5:06 with Stefan Noesen’s 19th goal of the season. Hischier and Bratt had the assists.
New Jersey immediately took a high sticking penalty but killed it off.
The Devils added a fifth goal at 9:27 with a shot from Tomas Tatar that deflected in off a Nashville player. Hischier had the lone assist, earning his third point of the game.
New Jersey took a fourth penalty with around 5 minutes left in the game but killed it off again. Bratt had a shorthanded breakaway that was saved by Annunen.
Nashville appeared to score with 2:12 left in the game, but the Devils challenged for offsides, and the goal was quickly taken off the board to preserve Daws’ shutout.
New Jersey outshot Nashville 36-29 in the 5-0 victory.
Takeaways
What the Doctor Ordered
Scoring has been hard to come by for the Devils. Going into the break and in the game against the Stars, New Jersey had plenty of chances to put the puck in the net but simply lacked the finish. Against the Stars specifically, the Devils were the better team most of the night, generating high-danger chances but only managing two goals on their 33 shots.
24 hours later, the script has been flipped, in what could potentially be a sign of things to come for the Devils. Hamilton finally got a goal after a fantastic game against the Stars with nothing to show for it. Noesen and Tatar each earned goals to break their respective goalless streaks, and Hischier notched three assists in his second game back from injury. Additionally, Casey cashed in with a goal in his first game back in the NHL since October.
With players up and down the lineup getting on the scoresheet, hopefully, the Devils can quench what has been nearly two months of a severe scoring drought.
A Myriad of Milestones
Devils players reached quite a few milestones in the contest. Palat and Hamilton became the first pair of players in NHL history to each earn their 500th career points on the same scoring play.
With his assist on Hamilton’s goal, Bratt extended his assist streak to ten games, marking the longest in franchise history. Additionally, he became the fastest player in Devils history to reach 50 assists (59 GP).
Jack Hughes extended his road point streak to ten games, which also marks the longest in franchise history. He has tallied seven goals and eight assists in that time.
To cap off the night, Daws earned his first career NHL shutout with a 29-save outing. With his performance, the Devils secured their eighth shutout of the season, which is tied with the Ottawa Senators for the most in the league.
Up Next
The Devils get a few days off before they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night in Denver.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the two clubs this season. The Devils were shut out 4-0 in the first matchup, on December 8.
The Avalanche sit fourth in the Central Division with a 33-24-2 record and a 5-5-0 record in their past ten contests. Colorado is looking for its first win since the NHL’s return from break, having lost to the Predators and, most recently, the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.
Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. on MSGSN, ALT, and KTVD.
ITR 31: Let Them Fight – Inside The Rink
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