After a few days off, the New Jersey Devils returned to home ice and beat division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2.
Despite having a short break, the Devils came out flat and saw themselves struggling against the Hurricanes. Carolina found themselves up 1-0 after the Devils hit the post on the other end. This seemed to be a wake up call for the Devils because just five minutes later, Jesper Bratt found the back of the net for the Devils, tying the game 1-1.
With just over a minute left in the period, Hurricanes player Shayne Gostisbehere was sent to the box for a high-sticking penalty. The Devils went to the man-advantage for the first time, but was quickly stopped as Gostisbehere’s teammate Jordan Staal earned himself a seat in the penalty box. The Devils had 10 seconds on five-on-three power play time before the first period ended.
The Devils started the second period with 46 seconds of five-on-three. Stefan Noesen found the back of the net for the Devils right before Carolina’s first penalty ran out of time, allowing the Devils to remain on a power play. The second period remained relatively quiet, minus a few posts from each team. Devils’ forward Paul Cotter drew a penalty with a little over 15 seconds left in the period, making his team kill the final few seconds of the period and begin the third period a man down.
Within seconds of beginning the final frame, the Hurricanes tied the game 2-2, a wicked shot by Andrei Svechnikov on the power play.
The Devils continued their high level of play, led by Bratt and Jack Hughes, as the third period continued on. Dawson Mercer found himself battling for the puck behind the net and managed to get the puck to Dougie Hamilton who found the back of the net against his former team. He gave the Devils the lead and would end up being the game-winning goal for the Devils.
Bratt added his second of the night on the Devils final power play opportunity with just over five minutes left in the game. A score of 4-2 would prove to be enough for the Devils to grab the two points and get themselves back in the win column.
Bratt and Hughes both added another three-point night. Bratt has 27 points in 22 games and Hughes has 25 points in 27.
Jacob Markstrom played in his 500th career game tonight, picked up a win and had a save percentage of .909.
The Devils showed a real team effort as they ended the night with a total of 25 hits and a total of 25 blocked shots. One of the key factors of the Devils’ success this year has been their physicality and their willingness to jump in front of the puck.
Special teams continue to be a success for the Devils as they managed to score two goals on a top 10 ranked penalty kill. They also went one-for-two on the penalty kill.
The Devils have shown they can compete with any team in the league and picked up a crucial two points against the number two ranked team in the league.
The Devils play again Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. ET against another top team in the Metropolitan division, the Washington Capitals.
