A strong third period and timely motivation from interim coach Alain Nasreddine were all the New Jersey Devils needed to overcome the struggling Detroit Red Wings.
Wayne Simmonds scored twice during a four-goal outburst in the third period, leading the Devils to a 4-1 comeback win over the Red Wings on Thursday night.
“I think we got the coach’s message,” Simmonds said after recording his first multi-goal game as a Devil. “We turned it on. The first period, we were awful; it felt like pond hockey, and the second period was full of power plays and penalty kills, so we didn’t get much 5-on-5 action. But in the third period, we knew we had to deliver, and that’s what we did.”
Andy Greene and Jesper Bratt also found the back of the net during the Devils’ four-minute scoring spree, marking just their third win (3-20-0) when trailing after two periods. Since returning from the All-Star break, New Jersey has secured points in seven of eight games (4-1-3).
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who had posted shutouts in his last two starts, made 25 saves to earn his fourth win in five games (4-0-1).
Andreas Athanasiou ended Blackwood’s shutout streak at 171 minutes, 37 seconds, with a goal from the right circle at 16:34 of the second period.
“The streak was good while it lasted,” Blackwood said. “I knew it wouldn’t last forever. It was a good shot; I didn’t pick it up through the guy’s legs. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”
Jonathan Bernier made 22 saves for the Red Wings, who hold the league’s worst record. Despite his solid play in the first two periods, Athanasiou’s goal wasn’t enough to secure a win.
“No one wants to be in this position,” said Red Wings center Dylan Larkin. “The past two weeks, we’ve been building our game and playing as a unit of five, and our goaltending has been great. Tonight, we took a step backward. In a league that’s so tight and competitive, we’ve got to come out strong every night. Especially us, we’ve got to come harder.”
Greene tied the game at 5:10 of the third period with a shot from the left point. While Simmonds didn’t register a point on the play, his screen of Bernier sparked the Devils’ rally.
Simmonds put the Devils ahead less than two minutes later with a tap-in goal, capitalizing on crisp cross-ice passes from Pavel Zacha and Miles Wood. He added his seventh goal of the season at 8:37, slamming in a rebound off a Kyle Palmieri power-play shot for his 250th career goal.
Bratt scored 33 seconds later with a shot from above the faceoff circles.
“We just stopped playing,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “I don’t have an answer as to why exactly. My job is to try and fix it, but I don’t know why we stopped skating.”
Athanasiou’s goal was his eighth of the season and his third in many games.
Blackwood’s shutout streak ranks as the fifth-longest in the Devils’ history. Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur holds the top four streaks and owns the franchise record with three consecutive shutouts.
Devils defenseman Damon Severson contributed two assists, extending his point streak to eight games—the longest by a Devils defenseman since Brian Rafalski’s eight-game streak in 2006-07.
“A little bit of an ugly first two periods for us,” Severson said. “We had chances, a couple of power plays in a row, we didn’t capitalize when we had the chance, but Greener got us going, then we had a power-play goal, and we were able to break it open there.”
Game Notes:
- New Jersey D P.K. Subban played in his 700th NHL game.
- The Devils placed D Sami Vatanen (bruised right leg) on injured reserve and recalled RW Nick Merkley from Binghamton (AHL). Merkley, acquired in the trade that sent 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall to the Coyotes, did not play.
- Red Wings LW Brendan Perlini is out indefinitely with a facial laceration sustained Tuesday against Buffalo.
UP NEXT:
- Red Wings: Visit Boston on Saturday to face the Bruins for the second time in six days.
- Devils: Travel to Carolina on Friday night for the second game of their four-game season series.
