3 Takeaways From Devils’ 5-2 Win Over Golden Knights

On Oct. 30, the New Jersey Devils took on the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. This game marked the last on the Devils’ three-game road trip, as well as their last game in October.

The Devils broke the ice early in the first, and Vegas tied it up later with a power-play goal. The Golden Knights had the lead shortly after, but the Devils tied the game before the end of the first period. New Jersey scored two more goals in the second period, and an empty-net goal secured a 5-2 win for the Devils.

Luke Hughes Kicked Devils Off Early

Just five minutes into the first period, the Devils were up on the board first. Jesper Boqvist had three Golden Knights players pressuring him while he had the puck in the Devils’ zone. Vegas gained control, but a bad pass allowed Anthony Mantha to force a turnover. He skated it around the back of the net and dropped it down to Luke Hughes at the faceoff circle. He sent a slap shot rocketing toward the open side of the net to score the Devils’ first of the game.

L. Hughes has seven points in 14 games and has two goals in two of the three games on the road trip. He is ranked sixth overall on the Devils’ points leaderboard and is the highest-ranked defenseman on the Devils. He has had a great offensive start to the season, especially as a defenseman.

Both Jack Hughes and Gritsyuk Are on Fire

While L. Hughes kicked off the scoring, Arseny Gritsyuk and Hughes’ brother, Jack, kept the Devils’ scoring going. It was Gritsyuk who scored after the Golden Knights’ first-period goals to tie the game up. The Golden Knights picked up the puck at the Devils’ zone in front of the net. When they tried to clear it, Gritsyuk picked up the puck and sent it past Adin Hill for the Devils’ second of the night.

Three minutes into the second, Jack Hughes skated the puck around Mark Stone in a gorgeous display of speed and skill, which allowed him to score and put the Devils back in the lead.

Both Gritsyuk and J. Hughes had a second goal each in this game. Gritsyuk had eight points in six games, and his points streak was unfortunately broken against the Colorado Avalanche. Now with two goals in this game, he has the potential to kick off a new streak in November.

J. Hughes is in the same boat; he had five points in three games, and his streak was broken against the Avalanche. He has also had a great start to the season, recording 16 points in the Devils’ first 14 games. As a prime member of the Devils’ offense, he will look to keep this performance up into November.

Hellebuyck Secures Second-Straight Win with New Jersey

Last Friday, the Devils acquired Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets. He made his Devils debut on Tuesday, just four days after the trade. A full week later, he played in his second game with New Jersey. Hellebuyck stopped 19 of the Golden Knights’ 21 shots to help propel the Devils to their second win with him in net.

Just like in his debut against the Dallas Stars, the Devils’ offense exploded to help take some of the pressure off of Hellebuyck. He still did a phenomenal job of making saves when the Golden Knights did try to generate shots.

Hellebuyck played in two of the Devils’ three games on their West Coast road trip since his acquisition. As the Devils head back home to New Jersey, it calls into question which of the two games next week, Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers or Thursday against the St. Louis Blues, will have Hellebuyck making his home debut.

Devils Head Back to New Jersey

After a three-game West Coast road trip, the Devils are heading back to the Prudential Center to host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM ET.