On Monday, March 17, the New Jersey Devils took on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. A lot was riding on this game, with the playoffs drawing ever nearer. The Devils took the victory here, 2-1.
Devils Scored Two Milestone Goals Within Seconds
This matchup was a low-scoring battle. It also took a while for anyone to get on the board, with the first goal being scored in the second half of the second period. However, once the Devils scored the first goal, they quickly scored their second right after.
13 minutes into the second period, Nico Hischier controlled the puck in the neutral zone. He passed to Stefan Noesen, who in turn, dished the puck to Timo Meier. Meier skated the puck into the Devils’ offensive zone, outpaced the two Blue Jackets players who tried to defend him, and skated right up to the net to score the first goal of the night.
Just 39 seconds later, Jesper Bratt doubled his team’s lead. Brian Dumoulin, who had the puck in the neutral zone, sent it around the boards where it found Bratt. He possessed the puck and sent it right into the back of the goal.
With these goals, Bratt and Meier have 20 goals each for the season to sit tied for third place on the Devils leaderboard. Jack Hughes sits in second place with 27 and Hischier is in first place with 28,
Bratt now has 80 points for the season as well (20 goals, 60 assists) to lead the team in points. Of his eight seasons in the NHL, last season was his best production-wise with 83 points. With 13 games left to play this season, he will likely surpass last season’s point total to set a new career high.
Meier is also in the top five on the Devils leaderboard with 45 points. While this has not been his best season by any means, he has still been a solid addition to the Devils’ top six with Hughes out for the season. Sitting in fourth place on the team’s leaderboard displays that.
Allen’s Goaltending Kept the Devils Alive
Jake Allen turned in an absolutely stellar performance. Columbus took 46 shots and only one slipped past Allen, earning him a save percentage (SV%) of .978%. This was his highest SV% all season aside from the four shutouts he has recorded on the campaign.
Related: Blue Jackets Fall to Devils Behind Jake Allen’s 45 Saves
Now that Jacob Markstrom has returned from injury, Allen is once again the Devils’ backup. Allen has only played three games so far this month, but all three have resulted in a Devils victory. As the playoffs draw nearer, New Jersey should not forget Allen’s overall performance as a starter while Markstrom was out.
Devils Picked Up Two Huge Points
As the regular season nears its close, these wins will make all the difference. The Devils’ victory here resulted in two huge points and bolstered their playoff hopes.
The Devils sit with 80 points and are third in the Metropolitan Division. The Carolina Hurricanes have a six-point lead on them to sit solidly in second. The Ottawa Senators, meanwhile, sit in the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 77 points. With just three points separating the Devils from the Senators and the Senators owning three games in hand, New Jersey will need every victory they can get to ensure they remain in the playoffs.
Devils Head Back Home
The Devils will head back to New Jersey to host the Calgary Flames on Thursday, March 20.
