On Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils traveled to Illinois to take on the Chicago Blackhawks and came away with a 5-3 win, taking both games in the season series.
Devils Scored Two Goals Within Seconds
The Devils opened the scoring six minutes into the first period, scoring two goals within 27 seconds. While three Blackhawks were covering Curtis Lazar in front of the net, Luke Hughes sent a pass from the boards to Nathan Bastian, who was also in front of the net. His shot got past Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight. In 54 games this season, Bastian has four goals and 10 points. His last point was an assist recorded on March 1, while his last goal was scored on Jan. 29 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Devils extended their lead with a power-play goal from Dawson Mercer less than 30 seconds later. He received a pass from Hughes in front of the net and surveyed his options. Instead of passing it, he skated up ice and shot the puck into the net.
With his second goal, Mercer now has 31 points on the season, including 17 goals and 14 assists. He is closing in on last season’s total of 33; however, Mercer recorded a career-high 56 points in 2022-23 and is unlikely to reach that mark in 2024-25. Before Jack Hughes was injured, he was playing in the bottom six. Now, he has stepped up to play in the top six to fill the void.
Devils Held the Lead
With a two-goal lead in the first period, the Devils never let the Blackhawks tie the game. Chicago scored their first goal three minutes after Mercer’s power-play marker. However, Ondrej Palat scored in the opening minutes of the second period to regain their two-goal cushion. Two minutes later, Ilya Mikheyev scored to bring Chicago within one, but Mercer scored a second power-play goal to regain the Devils’ lead.
Related: Devils Earn Much-Needed Victory With 5-3 Win Over Blackhawks
Frank Nazar scored a late goal with three minutes left in the game to give the Blackhawks a chance at a comeback. However, Stefan Noesen denied their chances with an empty-net goal. The Devils have blown 13 leads this season (tied with five other teams to rank 19th in the league) and five third-period leads. In Monday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Devils lost after gaining the lead in the third period. On March 20, New Jersey was up 3-1 at the end of the second but lost to the Calgary Flames after giving up four goals in the third period.
The Devils finally played a solid defensive game against the Blackhawks, not allowing them to get back in the game. Hughes was not only stellar on defense, but he also recorded three assists.
Markstrom Is Back in the Win Column
For the first time since March 11 Jacob Markstrom recorded a win, with 21 saves on 24 shots for a save percentage (SV%) of .875 – his second-highest SV% since March 11. Against the Canucks, he earned a .893 SV% in a 4-3 shootout loss.
This win is Markstrom’s 23rd of the season but only his second since returning from a lower-body injury suffered on Jan. 22. This victory should give him a boost of confidence as the Devils look to clinch their playoff spot.
Next on the Road Trip
The Devils take on the Winnipeg Jets on Friday and the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. The Jets are only the second team to clinch a postseason berth, while the Wild are currently in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Since the Blackhawks have already been eliminated from playoff contention, this game was the easiest of their three-game road trip. The Devils will need to bring their A-game to earn four points over the weekend.
