The New Jersey Devils ended their two-week-long homestand with a trip to the St. Louis Blues. The jet lag did not hit the Devils, as they were able to beat the Blues in a 4-1 all-out battle.
Game Recap
Shots were being taken by each team, but none of them were landing. After an exceptionally slow start to the first period, Ondrej Palat started the scoring off for the Devils. Palat, with the help of Luke Hughes, was able to get the puck into the offensive zone. The pair passed it to one another, getting it into a prime scoring zone. Palat picked up the puck from the faceoff circle, shot it, and sent it into the back of the net to score the first goal of the night with four minutes left in the first.
In the second, the Devils and Blues each picked up a two-minute minor penalty for tripping, but there was one distinct difference between these. When the Blues were in the penalty box, the Devils were able to score their second of the night. Stefan Noesen earned the honor of scoring the power play goal. Jack Hughes received the puck from Dougie Hamilton, who then passed it to Nico Hischier. Seeing Noesen on the other side of the net with a clearer shot, Hischier passed to him. While it took a couple shot attempts, Noesen was able to score the second goal of the night, in a milestone 400th NHL game for his career. Immediately following the goal, Cam Fowler received a two-minute minor for cross-checking Hischier.
The Devils were on a tear, and they were not about to let anyone get in their way. Just four minutes into the third period, Brenden Dillon scored the third goal of the night for the Devils. After the puck came loose from some traffic in front of the net, Dillon was able to recover the puck. From the left side wall, he shot the puck and scored the third goal of the night.
Eleven minutes into the final period, the Blues finally started to fire back. Jordan Kyrou scored the first (and only) goal of the night for St. Louis. After pulling the goalie, the Blues capitalized on the extra man advantage. Brayden Schenn passed the puck to Justin Faulk. After some back-and-forth passing, Faulk passed to Kyrou, who scored from the left faceoff circle. Cutting the Devils lead to two goals, the Blues had some confidence back on the ice.
That confidence was quickly struck down after Jesper Bratt scored an empty net goal. Jack Hughes managed to steal the puck away from the Blues, passing it to Bratt. Bratt skated down the ice, dodging players to put the puck into the back of the net and solidify the win for the Devils.
Next Games
The Devils continue their road trip when they face off in Columbus against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 19. The Blues also hit the road, where they face the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Thursday as well.
