First Period
The Devils took the lead just over a minute into the game, with Cody Glass finding Jesper Bratt for a one-timer past Jonathan Quick! Bratt shot the puck at the center of the net, but the play developed so quickly that Quick was completely unable to get across. 1-0, Devils.
Unfortunately for the Devils, Nick Bjugstad went to the box for high-sticking three minutes in, getting careless with his stick by the benches and catching Jaroslav Chmelar. The Devils did pretty well on this kill, with Dawson Mercer
blocking a shot early on and the team getting multiple clearances down the ice. The penalty was killed, and Markstrom gloved the puck to prevent a chance on the continuation of therir possession. The Devils came fast down the ice after the kill, and Jonathan Quick kick saved a one-timer by Timo Meier, who was fed by Arseny Gritsyuk. The teams went back and forth, but Jacob Markstrom missed a shot by Will Borgen, tying the game at 1-1.
Nick Bjugstad missed the net on a breakaway by quite a margin a few minutes later, and the Rangers took the lead when Gavrikov wired a shot to the glove side, and it looked like Johnny Kovacevic got a piece of the puck on the shot while also not giving Markstrom much room to glove at it. The Rangers went up 2-1.
After Vladislav Gavrikov took an interference penalty on Paul Cotter with just under two minutes to play in the period, the Devils went to the power play. The first unit had trouble keeping the puck, but Luke Hughes was creating deflection chances left and right on the second. After missing a deflection and a slot shot, Dawson Mercer tied the game very late in the period deflecting a fluttering low shot!
Second Period
Jesper Bratt, extending a shift with the fourth line, nearly retook the lead for the Devils when he wristed a shot off of Jonathan Quick’s neck a few minutes in. The Rangers looked much slower in the first five minutes or so, not getting a single shot on goal while the Devils climbed back above on the shot count.
Jack Hughes was called for interference nearly halfway through the period for being in the way of Tye Kartye, who was chasing the puck into the Devils’ defensive zone. I understand why the penalty was called, but I do not agree with it. As I see it, Jack Hughes had that body position on the ice and he was run over. Thankfully, the Rangers did not look good on this power play after the Devils cleared an early chance away from the crease, as the Devils killed a solid 30 seconds just keeping the puck in the corner before Connor Brown took it down the ice and cleared it for a change. The Devils killed the penalty, and the Devils started getting more shots on Quick.
Vincent Trocheck took a slashing penalty on Brenden Dillon with over six minutes to play in the period, and the Devils nearly had another goal for Dawson Mercer, but the rebound of the initial shot off the faceoff bounced just a bit too far from him. The second unit, which started the power play, again looked better than the first, though Connor Brown just had a puck skip over his stick on a potential scoring chance. After a late shot by Bratt was deflected out of play, the Devils sent out Hischier, Hughes, Bratt, Hamilton, and Siegenthaler. Hischier won the draw, and Siegenthaler joined him in front of the net to screen Quick. Hamilton went to the high slot, and Jack Hughes wound up from the blue line. Siegenthaler and Hischier moved out of the way just in time, and Jack took the lead for the Devils!
The lead would not last long. Will Cuylle deflected a point shot from Braden Schneider to tie the game at 3-3 with three minutes to play in the period. Dougie Hamilton needed to make a better play to get the puck out of the zone earlier in the shift, and the Rangers made them pay.
Third Period
The Rangers got a two-minute power play when Juuso Parssinen checked Connor Brown in the head away from the play, drawing Arseny Gritsyuk to the mix, as Gritsyuk dropped the gloves and pummeled Parssinen. (Please note that the only Tweet posting video including the hit has NSFW language.) The officials, who were not going to call a penalty at all on Parssinen at first, called two minutes on him for interference because of the melee. Gritsyuk got four minutes for roughing. On the penalty kill, Jacob Markstrom made a huge toe save on Gabriel Perreault, and the Devils survived the penalty after Connor Brown and Dougie Hamilton pushed the Rangers back with shorthanded chances.
After the penalty kill, the Rangers iced the puck. They started getting chippy with the Devils again, but Timo Meier refused to drop the gloves with Will Borgen. A couple minutes later, Timo Meier drew a penalty from Will Cuylle in the neutral zone, which was called a hook but was more of a slash to the ribs, sending the Devils to the power play with under 13 minutes to play in the game.
The Devils never conceded the offensive zone on this power play. Bratt and Hughes kept cycling along the wall while Brown and Hischier waited by the net, and Hischier took a little step out to the slot to collect a rebound from Bratt. The Rangers gave him too much time, and Hischier deflected the puck off of Quick’s side and in! The Devils took the lead, 4-3!
Brenden Dillon took a bad delay of game penalty with under half the period left to play, giving the Rangers a big chance to tie the game again. However, the Devils had their best penalty kill of the game, not allowing a single shot on goal. Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, Luke Hughes, and Jonas Siegenthaler were perfect on that kill, taking the puck into the offensive zone at times and taking time off the clock.
With the Rangers pressing to tie the game late, Adam Fox spun off Jack Hughes along the wall but made a bad pass to the middle of the ice. Jack Hughes saw Connor Brown flipping the puck to center ice and broke for it, getting an easy breakaway. He leaned, made a simple pullback move, and roofed the puck! Always one with the style, Jack went on one knee out to center ice and banged his fist on the Devils logo to the crowd, giving the team a 5-3 lead.
But his night was not done! With the net empty, the Devils did a great job of locking the Rangers down, as Dougie Hamilton blocked a shot from the side of the net that would have beat Markstrom. The Hughes line changed on for Nico’s and Connor Brown found Jack again for the empty netter and hat trick! The Devils won 6-3.
The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats
On a Roll
I loved the games the Devils got from the team’s top players today. Jack Hughes had a hat trick with an assist. Jesper Bratt had three points. Nico Hischier had some great penalty kills and the game-winning goal. Luke Hughes created a goal for Dawson Mercer from the blueline, controlled play well at five-on-five, and had a great penalty kill shift when Brenden Dillon was in the box. Arseny Gritsyuk had an assist and helped flip the tone of the third period when he pummeled Juuso Parssinen for head-hunting Connor Brown. Even players who did not get on the scoresheet, like Timo Meier, set the tone for the Devils with shot after shot on Jonathan Quick. In net, Jacob Markstrom’s stat line was not great, but he made some good saves and got, I would argue, unlucky on two deflections, especially one that would have went wide if not for Kovacevic (who did have two assists).
The Devils have won four straight. I would love to see four more. The Devils have a steep road ahead of them, but the team is playing well together and nothing was shaken up at the deadline. I hope that Jake Allen has a good game tomorrow night for them against the Red Wings, who will be without Dylan Larkin. But for now, I am THRILLED that the Devils have beat the Rangers in their first matchup of the season. Go and celebrate this victory and get ready for tomorrow night.
Your Thoughts
What did you think of today’s game? Did you enjoy Nico’s game winner and Jack’s hat trick? What do you think of this being the first Devils hat trick against the Rangers in the regular season since Scott Gomez in December 1999? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
