Jacob MacDonald and Anthony Duclair each netted two goals, and Kaapo Kahkonen made 44 saves as the San Jose Sharks secured their first road victory of the season, beating the New Jersey Devils 6-3 on Friday night.
Sharks Break Road Winless Streak
Mikael Granlund added a goal and two assists, while William Eklund also scored for San Jose, which improved to 6-16-2 overall. The Sharks, previously 0-10-0 on the road, managed just six goals in those away games before this win.
“I’m happy for our guys. It’s been a tough year, especially on the road,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “To find a way to win is a tribute to our team.”
Devils’ Struggles
Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes, and Ondrej Palat scored for New Jersey, which snapped its three-game winning streak. Defenseman Simon Nemec, making his NHL debut, had two assists. Akira Schmid finished with 12 saves for the Devils.
“Puck management on the goals, no respect to the game,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We knew we would have zone time. You can do all this good work, but if you’re going to disrespect the game, which we did, it’s disappointing.”
Game Highlights
MacDonald opened the scoring just 2:10 into the game. New Jersey tied it with a power-play goal from Mercer at 13:15 of the first period. MacDonald scored again early in the second period, his first two-goal game in his 109-game career.
“I am glad to contribute any way that I can,” said MacDonald, a defenseman playing as a forward. “We started out hot. A quick goal builds confidence right from the start.”
Duclair extended San Jose’s lead to 3-1 in the second period. Hughes brought the Devils within one early in the third, but Duclair scored his second of the game shortly after. Palat made it 4-3 with 7:02 left, but Granlund restored the two-goal lead 40 seconds later. Eklund sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Return of Former Players
The game marked Timo Meier’s return to the Devils lineup against his former team after he missed seven games with a lower-body injury. Former Devils Mackenzie Blackwood, Nikita Okhotiuk, and Fabian Zetterlund also returned to New Jersey, having been part of the trade that brought Meier to the Devils.
“I think you can play all you want on the outside; you’ve just got to get inside,” Meier said. “We tried to outscore the other team, and they stayed tight. We didn’t do a good enough job.”
Upcoming Games
- Sharks: Continue their six-game road trip at the New York Rangers on Sunday night.
- Devils: Start a four-game road trip at Vancouver on Tuesday night.
