Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier, and Tomas Nosek scored within the first 5:12 of the second period, propelling the New Jersey Devils to a 6-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
Jake Allen, making his debut for New Jersey since being acquired from Montreal last week, allowed two goals on Dallas’ first three shots but rebounded to finish with 35 saves, including several from point-blank range.
“Not a good first seven minutes, not by myself,” said the 33-year-old Allen. “But I wanted to dig in for this group, make a good first impression, and do my best for them. They supported me with some goal support in the second.”
Mercer broke a 2-2 tie with a spinning move at the crease at 1:30 of the second period. Meier’s goal at 3:52 forced Stars starter Jake Oettinger out of the game after making just six saves. Nosek greeted replacement Scott Wedgewood with a goal from beyond the left faceoff circle at 5:12, marking his first goal of the season. Wedgewood stopped eight shots in just over 38 minutes of play.
Meier and Chris Tierney each had a goal and an assist, while Erik Haula and Alexander Holtz also scored for the Devils, who were outshot 37-20.
Wyatt Johnston and Craig Smith scored for the Stars, who are looking to rebound from Thursday’s 4-3 home loss to Florida after leading 3-0. Oettinger, an All-Star this season, allowed three third-period goals in that game.
The Devils, now 2-3-0 under interim coach Travis Green, are four points out of the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
Dallas and Colorado are tied atop the Central Division with 89 points each, with the Stars having played one more game.
Allen is the fifth goalie to play for the Devils this season, a team that entered the game last in the league with a .882 team save percentage.
Both teams scored on their first shots, with Johnston netting one just 15 seconds in and Haula replying at 5:41.
Smith put the Stars back ahead from a tight angle, sending the puck off Allen’s right skate and between his pads at 12:04 of the first. Tierney scored from behind the Stars’ net at 17:14, with the puck deflecting in off Miro Heiskanen.
Dallas, which has recent experience rallying from three-goal deficits, could not repeat their previous comeback. The Stars trailed 6-3 at San Jose on March 5 but scored three times in 2:44 to win in overtime. Holtz sealed the Devils’ win at 14:25 of the third, making it 6-2.
“If you’re going to play that game (trailing by three), you’re not going to be able to rally to win every night,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.
Johnston’s goal was his 25th of the season, surpassing last season’s total when he tied for the most among rookies.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Visit Arizona on Saturday.
- Stars: Host Los Angeles on Saturday night.
