On Dec. 23 the New Jersey Devils hosted the New York Rangers for their last game before the holiday break. While the Rangers were on a losing streak, the Devils were able to extend their streak, defeating the Rangers 5-0 for their second shutout victory in a row.
Markstrom With Back-to-Back Shutout Victories
Jacob Markstrom recorded his second shutout in a row during this game. The Devils were able to keep the Rangers at bay, outshooting them 29-12. The Devils clearly had better puck control the entire game. They possessed it more often than the Rangers, clearly getting more shot attempts.
Although the Rangers took a measly 12 shots on goal, Markstrom was able to stop all of them, which is the key point here. In doing this, he recorded his third shutout of the season. Even more impressively, this is his second shutout in a row. Since he had a shutout, he had another 1.000 save percentage this game. He continues to impress this season and prove that there is a reason that he is the Devils’ starting goalie.
Four Different Goal Scorers Keep Devils in the Game
Not only did Markstrom help keep his team in the game, but the Devils had five goals from four different goal-scorers. Jack Hughes scored twice, while Timo Meier, Stefan Noesen, and Dawson Mercer each lit the lamp once.
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While each team had 24 penalty minutes each, it was the Devils who capitalized on their extra man advantages, with three of the five goals being scored on the power play.
The home team was slow to start, with only one goal in the first period. Jack earned the honor of scoring the first goal of the night. Dougie Hamilton had a handle on the puck, who passed to Jesper Bratt. Bratt skated it up towards the goal and saw Jack relatively alone. He passed to Jack, who was able to shoot the puck and earn the first goal of the game not even five minutes in.
The second period gave way to two of those three power play goals. Both Meier’s goal and Jack’s second were scored while they had an extra man advantage. Meier had an excellent goal. Ondrej Palat sent the puck to Mercer, who saw Meier alone on the ice. With no one defending him, he was able to take a shot at the net and score the second goal of the game. A little later into the period, Bratt had the puck and skated up to the Devils scoring zone. He passed to Luke Hughes, who saw his brother up in front by the net. He passed to Jack, who was able to once again score on the extra man advantage.
Towards the middle of the third, Meier skated the puck all the way across the ice to the Devils’ scoring zone. With too many men on him, he was unable to make the play. He sent the puck over to Nico Hischier, who found Noesen with an available chance. With a shot, he scored the fourth of the game. Finally, it was Mercer who was able to really bring this game home. Luke passed the puck to Jack, who made a shot attempt that was thwarted. However, Mercer was in front of the net and was able to net the third power play goal off a rebound.
With these five goals, nine players recorded points with a majority earning more than one this game. It’s games like these that go to show just how much effort the Devils put into working together as a team. They can’t win a hockey game by themselves. It’s the way they all work together in such a cohesive manner that makes watching their performance in each game that much more enjoyable.
Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt: Who Will Be Victorious?
With Jack’s two goals and one assist, he currently sits atop the points leaderboard alongside Bratt, both tied at 45 points. Bratt’s two assists last night helped him reach the 45-point mark. Both assists came off of Jack’s goals.
The pair is an exceptionally strong duo; they are linemates for a reason. The pair push each other to bring out the best in who they are as players. Both players are constantly putting up multi-point games, just like last night’s. With such a close race to the top, it’s hard to say which of the two will lead the pack by the end of the season.
A Well Deserved Holiday Break
After the past two incredible victories the Devils earned, they get a well-deserved break for the holidays. They will be back in action at the Prudential Center on Dec. 27 when they host the Carolina Hurricanes.
