The New Jersey Devils did not make it easy on themselves Tuesday night, but Jack Hughes made sure they left with the result they needed.
After two periods, the Devils looked like they were in control of the game against the Detroit Red Wings. They had outshot Detroit 30-14 through the first 40 minutes and were carrying play almost every shift, yet the scoreboard only showed a 4-3 lead. New Jersey had goals from Anthony Mantha, Evan Rodrigues, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt, but the advantage felt too thin for how hard the Devils were pressing.
That slim margin became dangerous fast once the third period arrived. New Jersey looked flat, Detroit found its legs, and the Red Wings started to tilt the ice the other way. That wasn’t exactly a surprise after the Devils had lost to the Ottawa Senators on Monday night, but it still turned the finish into a grinder.
Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat line made the Devils pay. DeBrincat scored again, his second goal of the game and fourth of the season, and his work with Emmitt Finnie accounted for all four Detroit goals. Suddenly, the game New Jersey had controlled for long stretches was hanging right there.
The Devils also had chances to put it away before overtime even became a thought. Jesper Bratt missed two empty nets, Jesper Boqvist missed another, and Arseny Gristyuk and Nico Hischier were both stopped on strong chances by John Gibson, who was sharp enough to keep Detroit alive despite the loss.
Then Hughes stepped in.
Jack Hughes does what he does best: scores in overtime. He slipped behind the defense, Bratt found him with a pass on his stick, and Hughes finished the game off. The overtime itself started a little messy, with an offside call against New Jersey and a moment where the Devils nearly drew a penalty when Lucas Raymond skated into Nico Hischier’s elbow, but the final word belonged to Hughes and the Devils.
Sheldon Keefe had to juggle his lines with Luke Evangelista out because of an illness, and that shuffle produced a few things worth watching. The Anthony Mantha-Evan Rodrigues-Stefan Noesen line looked good, Amadeus Lombardi picked up another unfortunate penalty, and Dawson Mercer finally gave Keefe something to like while skating in the top six. There’s also the matter of Connor Brown returning, which gives Keefe even more to sort through.
For now, though, the Devils can breathe after surviving a game they probably should have finished earlier. They move forward at 3-3 with a win that came a lot closer to disaster than anyone in New Jersey wanted.
In Other News...
Devils Still Have A 5 On 5 Problem They Didn't Expect
Through six games, the Devils have settled into a 3-3 start, but the bigger concern has been what is happening at five-on-five. The puck movement and overall chances have been there, and the underlying numbers point to a team creating more than it is giving up, yet the goals have not followed at the rate New Jersey expected.
That mismatch has left the coaching staff looking for small fixes rather than sweeping changes. One possibility is a modest line tweak to give the offense a different look and, perhaps, a little more finishing touch at even strength, which is the kind of adjustment a team usually tries before the frustration starts to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Fans Get An Early Rivalry Test Against The Rangers
The Hudson River Rivalry gets an early-season stage Thursday night at Prudential Center, with the Devils and Rangers meeting at 7 p.m. in a matchup that always seems to bring a little more edge, a little more noise and a little more attention than the calendar might suggest. For New Jersey, it is the kind of game that can help set a tone at home, especially with captain Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Connor Brown and Brett Pesce all weighing in on what makes this rivalry feel different from a typical divisional date.
The Devils know these games carry their own rhythm, and they will get more than one crack at the Rangers over the course of the year as the two teams split their meetings between both arenas. Still, the first one at Prudential Center has a way of mattering on its own, because every shift can feel a little sharper when these two are on the ice together. For a team trying to build momentum and establish its identity early, this is the kind of test that tells you something right away. [Read more 🡒]