Louis Domingue made the most of his fresh start with the New Jersey Devils, delivering a standout performance in his first start for the team.
Domingue made 19 saves, leading the Devils to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. The win handed the Red Wings their fifth consecutive loss (0-3-2) and ended a two-game skid for New Jersey.
Will Butcher scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, while Blake Coleman added two goals, and Kyle Palmieri and Taylor Hall also found the back of the net. The goals warmly welcomed Domingue, who did the rest with a solid outing in net.
Domingue, who joined the Devils in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 1, had last started a game on March 21, securing a 6-3 win for Tampa Bay. Despite posting a 21-5-0 record last season, Domingue became expendable when the Lightning signed Curtis McElhinney over the summer, leading to a minor stint before his move to New Jersey.
“I was excited,” Domingue said. “It’s been a long time coming for me. I feel like I should have started the year in the NHL, but things went as they did, and now I’m here. I’m taking it one day at a time and trying to stay in the league.”
Domingue made his first appearance for the Devils on Friday night, stopping all five shots in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood during a 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh. On Saturday, he quickly won over the Prudential Center crowd by stopping the first shot he faced, a drive from Anthony Mantha on the right wing.
“That first save got the nerves out of the way,” Domingue said. “I’ve played over a hundred games, but you still get nervous sometimes, especially when playing in front of a new team. My game plan is simple: nothing through me, nothing under me. If you do that, you usually have a pretty good night.”
The game featured the two lowest-ranked teams in the Eastern Conference. Both entered with just seven wins. New Jersey, in 15th place with 20 points, now has three more than Detroit.
The Devils seemed to rally around their new goalie.
“He looked really confident,” Palmieri said. “We’ve only had a couple of practices since he joined us, but you could immediately see the poise and confidence he plays with.”
Taro Hirose scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, while Jonathan Bernier made 29 saves.
“We’ve been really porous defensively the last couple of games, and that’s not good enough,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “We need to play hockey correctly, focusing on great defensive play. That’s where our offense will come from.”
The teams exchanged goals 26 seconds apart in the second period, leading to a 1-1 tie. Hirose scored at 3:32, deflecting a pass from Madison Bowey while moving through the slot. The Devils responded quickly, with Hall setting up Palmieri for a close-range goal.
Butcher gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 4:42 of the third period, a goal confirmed after a video review overturned the initial call of no goal due to a kicked puck. The review showed that the puck had deflected off the skate of Detroit defenseman Dylan McIlrath.
Coleman added an unassisted goal at 6:41, and Hall sealed the win with an empty-netter at 15:23, with Bernier already pulled for an extra attacker. Coleman then scored again in the final seconds.
Game Notes:
- The Devils observed “Hockey Fights Cancer” night, wearing lavender warmup jerseys that will be auctioned off to benefit the Clara Maass Medical Center Infusion Center in Belleville. Eleven-year-old brain cancer survivor Grace Eline, who joined the team as an honorary member this week, dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff.
- Both teams made roster moves on Saturday, with the Red Wings assigning defenseman Joe Hicketts to Grand Rapids and the Devils recalling left wing Brett Seney from Binghamton.
- Detroit’s Madison Bowey was penalized late in the first period while not on the ice, earning an interference penalty just as he was about to leave the penalty box for a previous infraction.
- Mantha, Detroit’s leading scorer, left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury.
- Wayne Simmonds of New Jersey and Detroit’s McIlrath dropped the gloves in the final minute.
Up Next:
- Red Wings: Host Carolina on Sunday.
- Devils: Host Minnesota on Tuesday.
