The New Jersey Devils defeated the Utah Hockey Club 3-0 on Monday afternoon, handing Utah its first loss as a franchise. The Devils’ defense had a dominant showing, stifling Utah’s potent offense and holding them off the board. With the win, New Jersey improved to 4-1-0, while Utah fell to 3-1-0.
Game Recap
Period One
After an evenly played first half, the Devils got a power play opportunity at the period’s midway point. Despite a much-improved look to the top unit, they couldn’t convert.
Utah got their own power play opportunity soon after, but the Devils killed it off to keep the score at 0-0.
The period ended with a few seconds of four-on-four play that carried over into the second.
The Devils were outshot 6-5 in the first frame.
Period Two
On an abbreviated power play, Seamus Casey opened the scoring at 1:14 with a snipe from the slot that beat Karel Vejmelka. Nico Hischier tallied the assist.
That was Casey’s third goal on just four shots in his early NHL career.
The Devils went right back to the power play and forced Vejmelka to make some big saves, but they couldn’t extend their lead.
The Devils kept the pressure on and were eventually rewarded at 8:13 with a backhanded tuck from Stefan Noesen. Casey added a primary assist to his afternoon point total.
Dougie Hamilton was cross-checked up high with 11 seconds remaining in the period. He was slow to get up but remained on the bench. New Jersey received another power play opportunity to end the middle frame.
The Devils outshot Utah 16-5 in the period.
Period Three
On their sixth power play of the afternoon, the Devils cashed in with a goal from Hischier at 10:13, who was left open at the net front. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt added the assists.
Utah pulled the goalie with around four minutes remaining in regulation but couldn’t get on the board against Jake Allen in net and the Devils’ stout defense.
New Jersey outshot Utah 33-20 in a shutout victory.
Takeaways
Defensive Depth Pays Dividends
The Devils put together a defensive masterclass to smother Utah’s offense, which had been scorching hot to start the season. In their first three games, Utah scored a league-leading 16 goals and was undefeated. The Devils played a physical game to eliminate some of the talented players and high-end chances that Utah relies on. Similar to how opposing teams played the Devils last year, New Jersey asserted its physical presence, outhitting Utah 28-8. They made a point to end plays with heavy checks and were responsible with the puck to limit opportunities.
Additionally, Utah’s power play was clicking at over 40% in games 1-3. The Devils’ penalty kill held them 0-4 and limited chances, making Allen’s job a lot easier in net.
So far, Tom Fitzgerald’s offseason overhaul of the defense has yielded impressive results.
Rookie Standout
Seamus Casey has had a stellar beginning to his NHL career. In five games, he has already collected three goals and an assist, highlighting his top-notch scoring ability.
Perhaps even more impressive is his composure with the puck in high-leverage situations. That skill was on display with his assist, where he maneuvered along the blue line and protected the puck from the defending player before getting it through to the goaltender and creating a rebound that Noesen buried. It is encouraging to see a player exhibit such poise in his game this early in his career.
Up Next
The Devils are right back in action on Tuesday night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.
It will be just the second game of the year for the Hurricanes, who have an 0-1-0 record. They lost 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 11th.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. on MSGSN.
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