On Saturday, Oct. 18, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Edmonton Oilers for an afternoon matchup. While the first period started slow, the second and third were full of action. The Devils scored first and managed to hold their lead throughout the entire game. New Jersey defeated Edmonton 5-3.
Game Recap
The first period was full of scoring chances. Both teams had a power-play opportunity, but neither capitalized on it. At the end of the first, Edmonton took nine shots to New Jersey’s four.
Eight minutes into the second period, the Devils got on the board first. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tried to send the puck out of the Devils’ offensive zone, but Brett Pesce caught it. He passed it to Jack Hughes at the blue line. He skated up with three Oilers players trying to defend him, but he split the defense and made it to the net. His shot rang off the post and into the net to score the first goal of the game.
At 15:58, Nugent-Hopkins took a seat for tripping Hughes. Dougie Hamilton got the puck off the faceoff on the power play. The puck went to Jack Hughes on his left, who in turn, passed it to Jesper Bratt. With no one defending him, he let his shot fly to give the Devils a two-goal lead.
Just two minutes later, Connor McDavid received the puck around the boards from Nugent-Hopkins. McDavid passed it back to him. With a shot, Nugent-Hopkins put the Oilers on the board.
Halfway into the third period, Cody Glass took a seat for a high stick on Trent Frederic. Although the Devils were down a man, that didn’t stop them from scoring. Luke Glendening gained control of the puck and tried to send it into the Devils’ zone. Although he slipped, Connor Brown picked up the loose puck. On a breakaway, he scored a shorthanded goal to give the Devils a two-goal lead once more.
Shortly after, the lead increased. Jesper Bratt stole the puck away from a bad pass from the Oilers. He sent it to Hughes, who skated up to the net unattended. With his shot, Hughes scored his second goal of the night.
Four minutes after Hughes’ second goal, the Oilers scored once more. Off a feed from McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins scored his second of the night.
The Oilers were growing desperate, and they pulled Calvin Pickard from the net. The Devils won the initial faceoff following this. With an empty net goal, Dawson Mercer gave the Devils a stronger lead.
In the final seconds of the game, ex-Devil Curtis Lazar scored to give the Oilers their third of the night. His goal was too little, too late, and the Devils ended the game with their fourth-straight win.
What’s Next
The Oilers will play the second half of a back-to-back tomorrow, Oct. 19 when they face the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. The Devils will also hit the road, taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
