The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators met for the first of three matchups between the teams. Both teams entered the game on a two-game winning streak. However, the Senators entered with only five wins in December. New Jersey’s December record showed immense improvement from their November record as the team is finally getting healthier.
Ottawa sits in eighth in the Atlantic Division and is without defenseman Thomas Chabot, and forwards Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier. The Devils have been without Dougie Hamilton for a long time and Tomas Nosek is still on injured reserve as well. Curtis Lazar will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury.
The goaltending matchup was Nico Daws versus Joonas Korpisalo. Daws made his season debut after undergoing off-season hip labrum surgery. The 23-year-old appeared in his 26th NHL game. Korpisalo made his 21st start of the season. He entered the game with a record of 7-11-0, a save percentage (SV%) of .894, and a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.53.
With the New Year around the corner, both teams were looking for important wins and the Devils dominated the majority of the game and earned the 6-2 win over Ottawa.
Momentum Swings Galore
The Devils’ first 10 minutes of the game were chock full of good chances and cohesive play. Unfortunately, the team took a too-many-men penalty that killed New Jersey’s momentum. Nevertheless, the penalty kill was able to erase the man advantage and keep the game scoreless. However, it allowed the Senators to gain momentum and eventually score the first goal of the night. It was the 25th out of 34 times that the opposing team scored the opening goal of the game. Ottawa’s goal came at 10:13 of the first period.
Fortunately, the Devils were able to tie the game at the 6:50 mark of the first period off of a Jack Hughes power-play goal. Then, with eight seconds left in the period, Jesper Bratt scored on the power play to give New Jersey a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.
For the remainder of the game, New Jersey took over the momentum and scored two goals in the second period. In the third period, Brendan Smith scored his first goal as a Devil after being released from the penalty box. The Senators were able to score one more goal off of a lucky bounce. However, the Devils answered with their sixth goal of the game to complete the dominant effort.
Nico Daws Makes First Start Since 2022
The German goaltender was impressive, calm, and reliable in his first game back since hip surgery. Though New Jersey was able to limit Ottawa’s shots to only 27, Daws made 25 saves. Furthermore, the pucks that got past him were largely due to Smith. The first goal against was off of a poor giveaway by the defenseman, and the second goal was a lucky bounce that hit off of him and went into the net.
Related: Devils’ Confidence in Rookies, Nemec, and Hughes Paying Off
Daws ended the night with a .926 SV%, 2.00 GAA, and 0.47 goals saved above expected. The sample size for the young goaltender is extremely small. However, in key moments of the game, he was able to make the big save and garner momentum for New Jersey. He made three breakaway saves and did not allow the Senators’ power play to score.
With Akira Schmid playing with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, the Devils and their fans will be able to see more of Daws in upcoming games. Hopefully, his other NHL starts will resemble this game against the Senators.
Devils Battling Back-to-Backs
In five out of six back-to-backs so far, the Devils have won the first game and lost the second. They were able to beat the Senators relatively easily and will look to beat the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday. The young team has a league-leading 16 back-to-backs and has not swept both games yet. After a dominant performance in Ottawa, they should be able to carry the momentum into the game against Boston.
With the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference developing into an extremely tight playoff race, the Devils finding a way to win both games of a back-to-back is a must. In their most recent matchup against the Bruins on Dec. 13, the Devils won a close 2-1 game in overtime.
Since Daws started in the game against the Senators, Vitek Vanecek will likely make his 21st start of the season. He was successful against the Bruins earlier in December and posted a .958 SV% and only allowed one goal against. The Devils should feel confident and energetic in the Bruins game since they will be entering on a three-game win streak and it will be the final game of 2023.
Quick Takeaways
- Kevin Bahl played in his 100th NHL game against the Senators. He spent four seasons with the Ottawa 67’s from 2016-2020.
- Jesper Bratt scored the 200th assist of his career in the first period.
- The Devils scored multiple power-play goals for the first time since Nov. 14 against the Winnipeg Jets.
- Jack Hughes has scored three or more points in nine games this season. It is his highest total in a single season with 48 games left to play.
- Dawson Mercer has six points in his last four games played. He has registered three goals and three assists.
- Luke Hughes had a career-high three points with one goal and two assists.
