The New Jersey Devils defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the home-and-home season series between the two. Looking to end a three-game winless streak at home, the Devils put together another 60-plus minute effort that earned them a resilient and well-deserved win over a team fighting for a wildcard spot in the Western Conference. With the win, the Devils improved to 40-29-7 and gave themselves a 10-point cushion in the standings over the final wildcard team and the nearest Metropolitan Division opponent. With the loss, the Wild fell to 41-28-6.
Game Recap
Period One
The Wild put an early shot on Jacob Markstrom, and the intensity from Saturday’s game immediately carried over, as players came together at the net front.
Minnesota was all over the Devils early, but the Devils started finding their legs as the period neared the halfway point.
The Devils broke through first, at 12:30, with a beautiful shot by Luke Hughes that beat Filip Gustavsson over the pad and under the glove. Brett Pesce and Justin Dowling picked up the assists.
With just under two minutes left in the period, Paul Cotter was hauled down along the boards, sending New Jersey to a power play. They couldn’t cash in before the period expired, and 10 seconds of the power play carried over to the second.
The Devils outshot the Wild 10-7 in the frame.
Period Two
The rest of the power play expired, and the Devils couldn’t grab a two-goal lead.
The Wild got their first power play of the game less than two minutes into the frame, but the Devils killed it off. Luke Hughes made a great play in front of Markstrom to intercept a pass and clear the zone, effectively running the final seconds off the man advantage.
Daniel Sprong had two good looks at Gustavsson from in close, including a shot that rang off the post, but New Jersey’s lead remained at one.
The Wild nearly had a breakaway, but Brian Dumoulin defended it well. Official Justin Kea incorrectly called holding on the play, sending the Devils to the penalty kill, to the bafflement of Dumoulin, the Devils’ bench, and the fans.
New Jersey killed the penalty, allowing just one shot on goal.
The New Jersey Devils hemmed the Wild in for an extended shift, sending plenty of dangerous chances toward the net. Luke Hughes made another great play to strip Matt Boldy of the puck and created a scoring chance that Gustavsson saved.
New Jersey outshot Minnesota 12-9 in the middle frame.
Period Three
The Wild pushed in the early minutes of the period, but the New Jersey Devils did well to keep everything to the outside. They nearly had a two-on-one opportunity, but Simon Nemec made a nice play to give the Devils time to get back into position.
Minnesota tied the game soon after, with a deflected shot by Vinnie Hinostroza that beat Markstrom at 2:57. Jake Middleton and Jon Merrill had the assists.
The Devils appeared to tie the game just seconds later after a shot popped up in the air and landed on Gustavson’s back as he reversed into the net. However, the officials conversed and deemed that the puck never fully crossed the line, and the game remained tied.
Dawson Mercer made a huge block, and the Wild got a second shot through to Markstrom who made a great save combined with Pesce, who cleared the crease.
The Devils went the other way and grabbed the lead right back at 9:12 thanks to Nico Hischier, who tallied his fourth goal in the past two games. Stefan Noesen and Luke Hughes tallied the assists.
The Wild took a hooking penalty with nine minutes left in the frame, but the Devils couldn’t grab the late two-goal lead.
Minnesota pushed as the period wound down, and after Brenden Dillon tried to chip the puck out, it ricocheted off a skate and into the slot, where Boldy was able to put it past Markstrom at 17:52. Marcus Foligno had the lone assist.
The period expired, and each team grabbed a point in the standings.
The Devils outshot the Wild 27-26 in regulation.
Overtime
The Devils appeared to score with 2:08 left in overtime, but the play was reviewed and deemed to be offsides, taking a second goal off the board.
Neither team could score during the three-on-three, and the game went to a shootout.
In the shootout, Cotter and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils at one end and Markstrom stopped both attempts at the other, sending the Prudential Center crowd home happy.
The Wild outshot the Devils 29-28 in 65 minutes of game action.
Takeaways
Resilience
The Devils never trailed against the Wild, but the victory came with plenty of adversity for the team to navigate. The Wild were able to tie the game twice, but the Devils answered with strong shifts to eliminate momentum.
Over the past few weeks, New Jersey developed a habit of allowing multiple goals in quick succession. Three games ago, against the Winnipeg Jets, they allowed two goals in the first two minutes of play. Against the Ottawa Senators, on March 22nd, they allowed two goals in under 40 seconds in the middle frame.
New Jersey made sure to avoid such breakdowns against Minnesota. There was no “panic” when the Wild scored, and they quickly settled and returned to their game, reminiscent of performances in the first half of the season.
The Devils also had to manage the emotions of two overturned goals, including one in overtime. New Jersey didn’t let the Wild gain any momentum from either call, and they rebounded well, an encouraging sign for the upcoming playoffs. On the heels of another strong 60-minute effort, the Devils may finally be finding their footing after a tough few months since the holiday break.
Up Next
The Devils get four days off before they take on the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center.
In that time, the wildcard teams will play some of the games that they currently have in hand, giving the Devils a clear idea of how many points it will take to clinch a playoff position. New Jersey has six games remaining in the regular season.
The Devils sit in a good spot currently, with 87 points. The closest Metropolitan Division team is the Rangers, who have 77 points and sit one spot out of the wildcard. They have two games in hand on the Devils and will play one before the head-to-head matchup on Saturday.
Behind the Rangers are the Columbus Blue Jackets, with 75 points and four games in hand on the Devils. Columbus will play twice before New Jersey is back in action.
New Jersey’s next puck drop is set for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EST. on ABC and ESPN+.
ITR 32: The Final Countdown – Inside The Rink
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