The New Jersey Devils hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 11. This was a huge game, as the Blue Jackets have been slowly creeping closer to the playoffs, as they are now in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Devils kept the Blue Jackets at bay for one more game; they took the 5-3 victory and earned a huge two points.
Glass Continues to Put Up Points
Cody Glass put up two points in this game, both assists.
He earned the only assist on Jesper Bratt‘s first-period goal. Glass skated the puck through the neutral zone and into the Devils’ offensive zone. He sent a backhanded pass to Bratt so he could possess the puck. With a strong wrist shot in front of Elvis Merzļikins, Bratt extended the Devils’ lead to three goals.
Bratt also got the secondary assist on the final goal of the night, while Glass received the primary assist. Bratt passed the puck through the neutral zone, where it found Glass. He skated wide through the faceoff circle. He spotted Luke Hughes and passed it to him. Right before he entered the faceoff circle, Hughes took a shot and found the back of the net for the fifth and final time for the Devils this game.
In two games now, Glass has earned three points with the Devils. They have all been assists, but a point is still a point. It shows that he is contributing to this team and finding his footing. In his last 12 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he earned three points. He has already tied this point total in just two games with the Devils.
Dumoulin Earns First Point in Black and Red
Brian Dumoulin, another new acquisition at the trade deadline for the Devils, also earned a point during this game. Like Glass, he also earned his point from an assist.
Stefan Noesen possessed the puck in the Blue Jackets’ offensive zone off a bad pass and sent it to Dumoulin. He passed it back to Noesen, who in turn passed it to Timo Meier in the neutral zone. Meier skated the puck up uncontested. As he got closer, he took the shot, which bounced off the goalpost and into the back of the net.
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This brings Dumoulin’s point total to 17 for the season. In 61 games with the Ducks, he recorded two goals and 14 assists. He had a plus/minus of plus-2 in Anaheim. Dumoulin’s assist last night canceled his minus-1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, so his plus/minus for the Devils now sits at zero.
With Dougie Hamilton still out for an indefinite amount of time, Dumoulin has not only added to the defensive side of the Devils but also to the scoring side. He has been paired on the second defensive line with Johnathan Kovacevic. In just three games, Dumoulin has contributed well to the Devils team.
Three Huge Penalty Kills
The Devils got on the board with a goal off the first Columbus penalty. They had four other chances with the extra-man advantage but couldn’t find another goal. More importantly, of the three penalties the Devils took, they did not let Columbus score.
Their penalty kill continues to be solid, currently fourth overall in the NHL at 82.8%. New Jersey proved they have one of the best penalty kills in the league with their performance here. Despite a 4-on-4 for 1:12 in the second period, the Devils made sure Columbus didn’t get the best of them here. That 4-on-4 was a big help in the Devils’ penalty kill as well. Once that ended, New Jersey was still on the power play for 48 seconds. They had the upper hand.
The Devils have killed a total of 154 penalties this season. They continue to show how they are one of the best teams in the league on the PK.
Another Chance on Thursday
The Devils will stay at home and host the Edmonton Oilers on March 13.
