The New Jersey Devils defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Thursday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the season series between the two teams. The Devils put together a gutsy effort after falling behind early in the third and scored timely goals before locking down defensively to secure the win. With the victory, the Devils improved to 36-25-6 and recorded their first three-game win streak since late December. With the loss, the Oilers fell to 37-24-4.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils had a great chance early after Stefan Noesen stripped Leon Draisaitl of the puck, creating an odd-man rush, but they couldn’t cash in.
New Jersey got a power play near the halfway point of the period after Dawson Mercer was tripped and sent sprawling, but the Devils didn’t generate much.
Nate Bastian was interfered with, sending New Jersey right back to the power play, but they couldn’t convert despite a few good opportunities.
The Devils had another two-on-one that was denied by Stuart Skinner.
New Jersey was outshot 8-5 in the period but did well to keep Edmonton’s shots to the outside.
Period Two
The Devils had an early look, but Tomas Tatar was tagged for an interference penalty. New Jersey killed the penalty and generated a great scoring chance with Tatar coming out of the box, but they couldn’t grab the lead.
Off the face-off, the Devils cashed in with Brett Pesce’s third goal of the season at 3:58, when he buried a loose rebound. Erik Haula and Jesper Bratt had the assists.
New Jersey kept the pressure on with a two-on-one rush, but Skinner got across to make the save. Simon Nemec had an opportunity seconds later that was blocked in front.
Against the flow of play, Draisaitl scored at 10:05 after two Devils failed to clear a bouncing puck. Connor McDavid and Brett Kulak had the assists.
The Oilers were called for too many men on the ice, but the Devils struggled early in the man advantage. Ondrej Palat got a great opportunity from the slot that Skinner got with his blocker, and the Oilers killed it off.
With only five minutes left in the frame, the Devils had nearly double the amount of shot attempts as Edmonton but were having a bit of trouble getting the puck through to the net.
New Jersey outshot the Oilers 11-6 in the middle frame.
Period Three
Edmonton had early pressure, but Jake Allen made some big saves, and the Devils weathered the storm.
The Oilers grabbed their first lead of the game at 4:18 with a slow shot from the blue line off the stick of Evan Bouchard that beat Allen through traffic. Jake Walman and McDavid had the assists.
Perhaps it was Mrs. Fields’ second consecutive victory in the Devils’ dessert race that gave them momentum because New Jersey tied things up just seconds after the TV timeout, at 6:50, with a slot shot by Bratt that beat Skinner clean. Pesce and Timo Meier tallied the assists.
The Devils regained their lead minutes later with a heavy slap shot by Nemec at 8:25 for his first goal of the season. Bratt and Nico Hischier had recorded the assists.
With the clock running down, the Oilers surged, looking for the tying goal, but the Devils did well to protect the house and clear pucks whenever possible.
The Devils had another odd-man rush and crashed the crease, with a few jabs at the puck by Cody Glass, but the puck stayed out.
The Oilers pulled their goalie, and the Devils had a chance at the empty net, but Palat whiffed on the shot.
It didn’t matter in the end as the Devils emerged with the 3-2 victory. New Jersey was outshot 33-22 in the contest.
Takeaways
Mrs. Fields Magic
The Devils looked flat to begin the third period, but after Mrs. Fields got the crowd going with her second dessert race victory of the year, the team rallied to score twice in under two minutes. It marked just the third time the Devils mounted a third-period comeback this season.
New Jersey’s scoring struggles have been prominent in recent months, but in the past few games, the Devils found ways to light the lamp, a promising sign for the future. They have scored three or more goals in four of their last five contests, all without Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, who are huge contributors to New Jersey’s offense.
Down the stretch, goal support is the key for the Devils. They have dependable defense and goaltending, and if they can keep improving their shooting percentage and finding ways to manufacture offense, they will find themselves in the playoffs.
Allen Crowned Oil King
Jake Allen started both games against the Oilers this season and came away with two victories. He was stellar in the first contest when he posted a 31-save shutout to lead his team to victory.
While he didn’t have the flawless scoresheet the second time around, he still made some huge saves to give the Devils a chance to win, especially in the third period.
He earned a .939 SV% and saved 1.25 goals above expected.
Around the League
The Devils were not the only Metropolitan Division team in action and they got a favorable outcome with the Vegas Golden Knights winning 4-0 over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the closest divisional opponent behind New Jersey.
The Blue Jackets stayed at 70 points, while the Devils increased their lead to eight points. Columbus has two games in hand compared to New Jersey, including one more head-to-head matchup scheduled for Monday, March 17th.
Up Next
The Devils head back on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon.
This is the third of four meetings between the Penguins and Devils this season. The Devils won each previous contest, recording a 3-0 shutout on December 21st and a 3-2 shootout win on February 4th.
The Penguins sit last in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-31-10 record and a 4-5-1 record in their past 10 games. Most recently, they defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-3 on Thursday night.
Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.
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