The New Jersey Devils found the perfect opportunity to end their slump against the struggling Montreal Canadiens.
Ending a seven-game losing streak, the Devils dominated the Canadiens with a 7-1 victory on Tuesday night. Tomas Tatar also broke his 12-game goal drought, adding to the Devils’ offensive surge.
The Devils had lost 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators the previous night. Coach Lindy Ruff expressed his admiration for the team’s bounce-back performance.
“I was really impressed with the energy and effort from the players in this back-to-back situation,” Ruff said. “After coming off the All-Star break, the first game usually has good energy, but sometimes the second game can be tougher. We had a full team effort tonight.”
Michael McLeod scored twice, while Dawson Mercer, Nico Hischier, Jesper Boqvist, and Tatar also found the net. Jon Gillies made 29 saves.
Ryan Graves emphasized the importance of keeping things simple to secure the win.
“We’ve been struggling lately, so it’s great to get back in the win column,” Graves said. “We played simple hockey, and it paid off. That’s how we need to play to be successful.”
The Canadiens, who have allowed five or more goals in five consecutive games, continued their struggles.
“We got embarrassed out there tonight,” said Josh Anderson. “We made some costly mistakes and just weren’t ready to go. It’s embarrassing, and we need to be ready for the next game.”
Brett Kulak scored the only goal for Montreal. Cayden Primeau allowed seven goals on 34 shots, becoming the first Canadiens goalie in 2022 to play a full game without being pulled.
McLeod opened the scoring at 4:36 of the first period, converting a rebound for his fourth goal of the season. Mercer extended the lead to 2-0 with 4:29 remaining in the first, finishing a pass from Boqvist.
Kulak’s wrist shot from the point made it 2-1 at 5:54 of the second period, giving the Canadiens some hope.
“When we made it 2-1, the third goal really put us on our heels,” said Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme. “We need to respond better in those moments and bring back the energy.”
The Devils quickly regained their two-goal lead after killing a penalty. Hischier scored from Primeau’s glove side on a pass from Yegor Sharangovic.
Late in the second period, the Devils added two more goals in 47 seconds. Boqvist scored from the high slot with 1:07 left, and McLeod notched his second goal from another Primeau rebound 20 seconds before the intermission.
The Devils continued their offensive onslaught in the third period. Pavel Zacha’s power-play shot deflected off Primeau’s glove, and Tatar scored from the slot.
UP NEXT:
- Devils: The Devils visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
- Canadiens: The Canadiens host the Washington Capitals on Thursday, the third game of a four-game homestand.
