The New Jersey Devils defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Devils put together another masterful defensive performance by breaking up plays and matching physicality, which limited St. Louis’s scoring chances. With the win, the Devils improved to 21-10-3 and sit atop the Eastern Conference, while the Blues fell to 15-15-3.
Game Recap
Period One
The game started slow, without much room for either team to operate in their respective offensive zones. The shots were just 3-3 at the period’s halfway point.
Play remained choppy, but the Devils eventually broke through first with a top-corner snipe by Ondrej Palat at 15:13. Luke Hughes notched a primary assist with a beautiful stretch pass to connect with Palat, streaking toward the net. Brett Pesce also added a secondary assist.
That was New Jersey’s first first-period goal since December 6th, against the Seattle Kraken.
The Devils surged as the period came to a close, but they couldn’t beat Jordan Binnington again to extend the lead.
New Jersey outshot St. Louis 7-5 in the first 20 minutes.
Period Two
Midway through the period, the Devils were tagged with a tripping penalty, giving the Blues the first man-advantage of the game. The Devils didn’t allow a shot during the kill.
Luke Hughes showed off his drastically improved defensive abilities, chasing down Oskar Sundqvist and eliminating what would have been a clear-cut breakaway for St. Louis.
Nico Hischier found himself on a breakaway for New Jersey, but Binnington kicked out his shot.
The Devils got their first power play of the night after Nate Bastian was tripped, and they converted at 13:09. Stefan Noesen scored his 14th goal of the season and tied his career high with a shot buried from the net front. New Jersey snapped its 0-11 power play drought with the goal. Hischier and Jack Hughes had the assists.
Hischier was cross-checked just before Noesen’s goal, and the Devils immediately went back to the power play. New Jersey had more great chances, but they couldn’t extend the lead.
The Devils outshot the Blues 7-6 in the middle frame.
Period Three
New Jersey came out hot in the third, putting five shots on Binnington in the first three minutes. The Devils were rewarded at 3:38 with Brenden Dillon’s 2nd goal of the season that beat Binnington up high. The goal was unassisted.
Just past the halfway point of the period, the Blues got on the board with a goal from Jordan Kyrou at 10:28, just off a faceoff. Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn had the assists.
The game was scrappy following the goal, and two players for each team ended up in the box.
With two defensemen, Johnathan Kovacevic and Jonas Siegenthaler, in the penalty box, the Devils endured some pressure as the Blues tried to rally. Jacob Markstrom made some huge saves to preserve the two-goal lead.
St. Louis pulled Binnington with nearly five minutes left in the game, and the Devils hit the empty net at 16:44. Jack Hughes put in some hard work in his defensive zone to win the puck and feed Jesper Bratt, who danced around defenders in the neutral zone to guide the puck into the cage.
The Blues stirred things up again with just over a minute left in the game as frustrations boiled over. Jake Neighbours was given the extra penalty, and the Devils finished the game on a power play. They didn’t convert, but they didn’t need to with a three-goal lead.
The Devils outshot the Blues 28-20 in the victory.
Takeaways
Defensive Domination
In one offseason, Tom Fitzgerald completely overhauled the Devils’ defense, and with the addition of Sheldon Keefe, New Jersey has evolved into a stifling juggernaut for opposing offenses.
After holding the Blues to just 20 shots in the game, New Jersey has put together a four-game stretch holding opponents to 20 or fewer shots. They allowed 17 shots against the Maple Leafs, 14 against the Kings, and 17 against the Blackhawks. According to the Devils’ broadcast statistician, Nick Cahill, the Devils haven’t accomplished such a stretch since 1999.
Adding Brett Pesce to complement Luke Hughes has worked out beautifully for the Devils. Of defense pairs that have logged at least 200 minutes of ice time together, the Hughes-Pesce pair has the seventh-lowest xGoals Against per 60 minutes in the league, according to Moneypuck. Additionally, they have the fifth-highest xGoals For per 60 minutes in the league.
The other defensive pairing that has been especially effective for the Devils is Siegenthaler and Kovacevic. Siegenthaler bounced back to his usual form after a down season in 2023-24, and Kovacevic has turned into Fitzgerald’s steal of the offseason. He acquired Kovacevic from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2026 4th-round pick.
Using the same statistical parameters, the Siegenthaler-Kovacevic pairing ranks third in the league in xGoals Against per 60 minutes, with 1.58.
Matching Play
The Devils have shown that they can play almost any style of hockey and win regardless. The Blues played a tight-checking game, especially in the early going, and instead of trying to force plays like in previous years, the Devils were content to grind it out and wait for opportunities to present.
While New Jersey has gotten heavier and added some strong forecheckers to the lineup, the Devils haven’t lost their high-flying offensive abilities. They still generate plenty of odd-man rushes and use their speed to wear down opponents. Games like the 5-1 win against the Rangers, the 6-2 victory against the Panthers and the 6-0 shutout over the Canucks showcase that ability.
It’s a great sign that the Devils have evolved their game and can thrive in so many different game scenarios.
Up Next
The Devils look to extend their win streak on Thursday when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets sit last in the Metropolitan Division with a 12-15-5 record and a 2-6-2 record in their last ten games. Most recently, they lost 3-5 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. on MSGSN and FDSNOH.
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