The New Jersey Devils finally looked like the team that set a franchise record for points last season, delivering a stellar performance that suggests they might still have a shot at the playoffs.
Jack Hughes scored two of the Devils’ three power-play goals, while his brother Luke Hughes notched a career-best three assists, leading New Jersey to a 4-1 victory over the red-hot Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
“We played well to say the least,” said Devils interim coach Travis Green after New Jersey won its second consecutive game. “Obviously, Winnipeg’s one of the best teams in the league. I thought our guys just played a very structured, organized, fast game and played it for 60 minutes.“
Consistent performances like this have been rare for the Devils this season. They have not won more than three games in a row all year.
“That was definitely one of our better games,” Jack Hughes said after increasing his goal to 23. The win keeps New Jersey six points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 games remaining.
Nico Hischier scored the go-ahead goal on the power play and added two assists. Timo Meier contributed an empty-net goal and two assists, and Jake Allen made 18 saves, securing his third win in four starts for New Jersey. The Devils also successfully killed all four of Winnipeg’s power-play opportunities, ending the Jets’ three-game winning streak and giving them their fourth loss in 11 games.
“Special teams won that game tonight for sure,” Hischier said. “Penalty kill was really strong, didn’t panic. They had a lot of O-zone time on the power play, but we didn’t panic, so we kept them outside.”
Nikolaj Ehlers scored a spectacular goal for the Jets, while Laurent Brossoit made 37 saves, ending his five-game winning streak.
Hischier broke a 1-1 tie at 5:59 of the third period, deflecting a Meier shot past Brossoit during a penalty to Dylan DeMelo for tripping Luke Hughes. Jack Hughes extended the lead to 3-1 at 11:52 with a shot from the high slot, and Meier sealed it with an empty-net goal.
Ehlers had tied the game at 1-1 at 16:47 of the second period with an impressive solo effort for his 21st goal of the season. The Danish forward skated back to his blue line to retrieve the puck, then swiftly maneuvered through the Devils’ defense to beat Allen with a sharp shot from inside the left circle.
“I mean unbelievable,” said Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon about the goal. “What can you say more about him? We see him do those all the time for us during the year. He’s got elite-level skill with elite-level speed. So, it’s amazing what those guys can do.”
Jack Hughes opened the scoring at 9:00 of the second period, putting the rebound of a Hischier shot past Brossoit, who had recorded shutouts in his last two starts. The goal came just nine seconds after the Jets were penalized for too many men on the ice.
While the first period was scoreless, Brossoit stopped Hischier on a breakaway in the opening minutes. Allen responded with a stop on Ehlers after a setup by former Devil Tyler Toffoli, who was playing in his 800th NHL game.
UP NEXT
- Jets: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday in the fourth of a five-game road trip.
- Devils: Host Ottawa on Saturday in the finale of a three-game homestand.
