Jake Allen made 36 saves, and Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer each scored twice, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
Alexander Holtz also found the net, while Jesper Bratt, Tomas Nosek, Jack Hughes, and Luke Hughes each tallied two assists as New Jersey secured their third win in eight games under interim coach Travis Green.
“One of the focal points of our game was our start. I thought it was excellent,” Green said. “A real good effort tonight.”
Marcus Pettersson and Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh, which, like New Jersey, is running out of time to secure a playoff spot. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 33 saves for the Penguins, who have lost nine of their last 12 games and 11 of their last 13 road games. Pittsburgh has not won against New Jersey in seven games (0-6-1) since Feb. 24, 2022.
“Whatever the highest level of desperation is, that’s where we’re at,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “We must play with urgency and desperation and take it one game at a time.”
Meier broke a 1-1 tie with his 20th goal of the season on a power play at 14:20 of the second period. It was his ninth goal in 10 games and ended New Jersey’s 0-for-12 drought with the man advantage.
“It was close,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said when asked if Meier used a high stick to deflect the puck on the go-ahead goal. “That’s not anything we can challenge. The league reviews it and makes their best judgment.”
New Jersey added three more goals in the third period, with Holtz and Mercer scoring 16 seconds apart. Holtz tapped in a rebound for his 15th goal of the season, and Mercer directed Nosek’s pass into the net at 9:14 for his 19th.
Allen secured his second win in three starts with the Devils, boasting a .946 save percentage and stopping 105 of 111 shots since being acquired from Montreal on March 8.
“I thought it was probably the most complete game I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Allen said. “It was impressive to come out in the third and kill their will immediately and then play a very mature game.”
Green praised Allen’s performance in his three starts.
“At this time of the year, goaltending is a big part of the game,” Green said.
Mercer scored at 5:35 of the first period with his 18th goal. Pettersson tied it up when he received a pass from Michael Bunting and blasted a one-timer past Allen at 7:16 of the second period.
UP NEXT
- Penguins: Visit Dallas on Friday night in the second of a three-game road trip.
- Devils: Host Winnipeg on Thursday night in the second of a three-game homestand.
