For the final game of 2024, the Anaheim Ducks and the New Jersey Devils faced off to ring in the new year. Although the Devils made an impressive comeback in the third period, it was the Ducks who would be victorious 3-2 on home ice.
Game Recap
At the halfway point, the action kicked off. Troy Terry kicked off the scoring for the Ducks. Ryan Strome received a pass from Frank Vatrano. Although the Devils tried to stop the puck from staying in the Ducks zone, Strome had other plans. He was able to get it across the wall and over to Terry. He was wide open in front of the net and was able to score the first goal of the night. Aside from the goal, the only other action was from penalties. The Ducks received three while the Devils only took one. Cutter Gauthier, Brett Leason, and Terry all saw two minutes in the box in the second half of the first period while only Brendan Dillon received a penalty for interference. The Devils took 15 shots on goal while the Ducks only took five. It was the Ducks shots that mattered more though, since they were able to actually score a goal in the first period.
There were no goals scored in the second period, however, there were a handful of penalties taken. At 8:20, the Devils took two penalties while the Ducks took one. Nico Hischier took two penalties, one for hooking and one for holding, both against Alex Killorn. Kurtis MacDermid had to sit for one of the penalties, joining his teammate in the box. Killorn also took a penalty for elbowing Hischier. Surprisingly no goals were scored during these two minutes of 4-on-3 hockey. With the penalty killed, the Devils were back to being down a man after Jesper Bratt was called for tripping Strome. With less than two minutes left in the period, the Devils took another penalty after Curtis Lazar sent the puck over the glass and delayed the game. Ten penalty minutes earned and 17 total shots, with the Ducks taking 11 and the Devils six, there was still plenty of work to be done in the third period.
Just about four minutes into the third period, the Ducks were able to extend their lead. Brian Dumoulin took the puck away from the Devils zone. With a pass to Gauthier, he skated up the ice with Robby Fabbri. The pair only had Luke Hughes on them. Taking advantage of the 2-on-1, Gauthier passed the puck over to Fabbri through the legs of L. Hughes. Fabbri was able to take a shot and score the second of the night for the Ducks.
At 5:31, the Devils were finally able to get on the board. Jackson LaCombe was attempting to get the puck out of the Devils’ zone. Jonas Siegenthaler grabbed a hold of it before anyone on the Ducks was able to. He immediately took a shot and put the Devils on the board. Eight minutes later, the Devils tied it up. The Devils were able to get the puck out of the Ducks’ zone and make a breakaway towards the net. Stefan Noesen, Dougie Hamilton, and Timo Meier were passing back and forth to each other. With four Ducks on them, it made it difficult to score. Hamilton was able to find an opening and scored the second goal of the night for the Devils.
Immediately after the goal, some excitement broke out, earning each team another minor. Hischier was sent to the box again, this time for roughing Mason McTavish. McTavish also earned the same penalty after his reaction to Hischier. Although there was 4-on-4 hockey for two minutes, neither team was able to score. LaCombe received a pass from Vatrano at the blue line. He passed to Strome, who skated up to take a shot from the right faceoff circle, which found its mark at the back of the net. He was able to break the tie and put the Ducks in front to win their final game of the year.
Next Games
The Devils look to start 2025 on the right foot, facing off against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 1. The Ducks look to continue their win streak when they travel to Winnipeg to face off against the Jets on Jan. 2.
