On Wednesday evening, the New Jersey Devils faced the Vegas Golden Knights on the road at T-Mobile Arena. The Devils were on the hunt for redemption following a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, while the Golden Knights looked to continue their two-game win streak. The hard-fought contest resulted in a 2-1 shootout victory for the Devils.
Game Recap
The Devils headed to the penalty kill just 39 seconds into the first period, after Jonas Siegenthaler was called for hooking, but the Golden Knights could not capitalize. Jeremy Lauzon later received a penalty for boarding Stefan Noesen, but goaltender Carter Hart kept the Devils off the scoreboard. After 20 minutes of play, shots were 10-8 in favor of the Golden Knights.
The second period opened with prime scoring chances for both teams, but it was the Devils who got on the board first. Connor Brown scored his eighth goal of the season after cutting in front of the net, giving New Jersey a 1-0 lead.
With less than five minutes remaining in the second, Mitch Marner went to the penalty box for a trip on Nico Hischier, giving the Devils their second power-play opportunity of the night. Mark Stone nearly scored on a shorthanded attempt, but Jake Allen stayed strong in net.
Shortly after, there was a scrum in front of the Golden Knights’ net, ending in Paul Cotter receiving a two-minute minor for roughing. Vegas was unable to score on the man advantage, but Hischier nearly had a shorthanded goal after picking off the puck in the neutral zone.
The third period saw renewed efforts for both teams. With five minutes left in regulation, Juho Lammikko went off for tripping. Vegas successfully tied the game at one, with a power-play goal courtesy of Pavel Dorofeyev, sending it to overtime.
Towards the end of overtime, Dawson Mercer went to the box for hooking. In the final minute, there were plenty of scoring opportunities, but the game remained deadlocked at 1-1.
Jesper Bratt was the first player to score in the shootout, firing the puck past Hart on the backhand. Marner put the puck in the Devils’ net shortly afterwards, but it was overturned for being kicked in.
With their 2-1 win, the Devils improved to 19-14-1, with Allen recording a .973 save percentage (SV%).
Looking Ahead
Both teams will be back in action this weekend. The Devils will wrap up their two-game road trip against the Utah Mammoth on Friday night, while the Golden Knights will face the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.
