The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Saturday afternoon in Montreal. While it wasn’t a flawlessly executed game by New Jersey, it was a massive improvement from their last game against the Golden Knights. The Devils cashed in on their chances, and Jake Allen stood tall at the other end of the ice, earning his fourth shutout of the season. With the win, the Devils improved to 31-20-6 and notched their 10th consecutive victory at the Bell Centre. With the loss, the Canadiens fell to 25-25-5.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils were on the front foot early and put a few shots on Sam Montembeault. While it wasn’t perfect, New Jersey’s execution was already noticeably better than it was in previous outings.
Montreal had a rush attempt but Simon Nemec, in his second game back with the Devils, made a nice play to cancel out the shot.
The Devils broke through at 13:43 with Jesper Bratt’s 17th goal of the season, wired from the high slot. Tomas Tatar made a beautiful pass from behind the net to earn a primary assist, and Dougie Hamilton grabbed a secondary assist with his keep-in at the blue line.
While they didn’t get points for the play, Nate Bastian and Curtis Lazar put in some hard work along the boards to win a puck battle and maintain possession.
The Devils got a late power play after Bratt was high-sticked but couldn’t extend their lead.
Allen made a huge save on Cole Caufield to bail New Jersey out after a bad turnover in the zone.
The Devils outshot Montreal 9-8 in the opening 20 minutes.
Period Two
New Jersey was tagged with an early holding penalty but successfully killed it off, allowing just one shot.
Allen came up with another phenomenal save to stone Josh Anderson on a breakaway.
The Devils answered with a few chances of their own but couldn’t light the lamp.
After another extended, hard-working shift, the Devils grabbed a two-goal lead at 12:44 thanks to a net drive by a falling Paul Cotter. Bratt and Jack Hughes had the assists.
New Jersey was tagged with a penalty with just seven seconds left in the period, which carried over into the third.
The Devils were outshot 14-6 in the period.
Period Three
The Devils killed the rest of the penalty and immediately scored on a two-on-one break at 1:53. Jack Hughes and Bratt broke out while shorthanded, and Hughes carried the puck and took the shot himself for his 24th goal of the season. Brett Pesce had the lone assist.
New Jersey extended its lead to four at 10:09 with a blast from Luke Hughes that sent a handful of Montreal fans heading for the exits. Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer had the assists.
As frustrations boiled over for the Canadiens, Anderson took a roughing penalty that sent the Devils to their second power play of the game. New Jersey had a few looks, but nothing got past Montembeault.
In the dying seconds, Luke Hughes took a penalty that was determined to be worthy of a penalty shot for the Canadiens. Allen stoned Owen Beck to preserve his shutout.
The Devils were outshot 34-22 in the victory.
Takeaways
New Jersey needed to get a win after their lackluster performance against the Golden Knights, and they succeeded. It wasn’t a perfect game, despite the look of the final scoreboard, but there were a lot of good signs for the future.
The Devils’ forecheck was prominent and directly led to their first two goals. Players worked hard along the boards and won their battles to extend zone time. Additionally, they made simpler, smarter plays instead of forcing dangerous passes that often get picked off and sent the other way.
Most importantly, the Devils finished their chances. There have been too many games this season where New Jersey generates a lot of O-zone time and peppers an opposing netminder but can’t hit the back of the net. Against the Canadiens, the Devils didn’t waste their opportunities and gave Allen more than enough goal support.
At the other end of the ice, the Devils got a stellar performance out of their goaltender, Allen, who has stepped up since Jacob Markstrom was injured. He saved all 34 shots that he faced to earn a 3.92 GSAx. He also stood tall at crucial junctures of the game. The Canadiens pushed for a tying goal early in the second frame and Allen was the best player on the ice for New Jersey, allowing the rest of his team to find their legs again and tilt the ice back in the Devils’ favor.
There are still things to be cleaned up, but the win in Montreal gives the Devils something to feel good about heading into the extended break.
Up Next
The Devils are off for the next two weeks as the Four Nations Face-Off takes place in Boston and Montreal.
During the break, fans can keep up with Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Erik Haula, who have been selected to represent their respective countries in the competition.
Bratt and Team Sweden open the tournament on Wednesday, February 12th, when they take on Team Canada at 8:00 p.m. on TNT, TruTV, and MAX.
Jack Hughes and Team USA are in action the following night when they face off against Haula and Team Finland at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.
As for the rest of the Devils, the extended break could not have come at a better time. With Nico Hischier, Markstrom, and Jonas Siegenthaler all sidelined due to injuries, along with a decline in performance since the Christmas break, the Devils are in desperate need of a reset. Hopefully for New Jersey, some of their injured players will be able to return after the break, providing a rested team with an extra boost.
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