Nathan Bastian recorded a goal and an assist, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.
The Golden Knights missed a crucial opportunity to close the gap on the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, significantly diminishing their playoff chances with just five games remaining. Vegas, which has made the playoffs in each of its first four seasons, now sits three points behind Los Angeles and four points back of Dallas and Nashville for a wild-card spot.
“We gotta win them all, I think that’s pretty simple,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. “It doesn’t get any more desperate than that. I would think that motivation would be the least of our problems right now.”
Vegas will wrap up its home schedule with games against Washington on Wednesday and San Jose on Sunday before finishing the season with three road games.
In a rare win for the Devils — their 13th in the last 40 games — Andreas Johnsson and Jesper Boqvist also scored, while Andrew Hammond made 42 saves.
Hammond, playing with his third organization this season, made just his eighth NHL appearance of the season.
“It’s special,” Hammond said of earning his first win as a Devil. “It’s a lot of fun playing in this building. I think it’s an atmosphere that if you harness it the right way, you can really feed off it. … I think both teams were trying to fight for every inch of the ice, and I felt like I was a part of that too.”
The Devils concluded their longest road trip of the season with a 3-1-1 record, including victories over desperate teams like Vegas and Dallas.
“They’re a good team,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “And we knew they would have the edge at times, and I thought we answered the call.”
Indeed, the Devils played intensely, staying active on defense and showing discipline in front of Hammond. They outperformed Vegas in blocked shots (24-16) and hits (41-26).
At times, New Jersey looked like the team vying for a playoff spot, with players standing rather than sitting on the bench, cheering exuberantly every time Hammond made a save.
“He played an awesome game,” Ruff said of Hammond. He made a lot of great saves. He was there when we broke down, he was there in the early breakaways, and he gave us a chance to settle into the game.”
Keegan Kolesar and Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas, and Robin Lehner stopped 25 shots.
Taking advantage of a Vegas turnover in its own zone, Devils center Michael McLeod fired a slap shot that Lehner stopped, but Bastian tapped home the rebound to give New Jersey an early lead in the first period.
The Golden Knights equalized late in the second period when Kolesar skated down the right side and sent the puck across the slot, deflecting off New Jersey defenseman P.K. Subban’s skate and past Hammond.
Vegas’ momentum was short-lived. Early in the third period, Johnsson grabbed a rebound and sent it top shelf over Lehner’s glove, putting New Jersey back in front.
Boqvist effectively sealed the win midway through the third, driving in and around Alex Pietrangelo before sliding the puck into the net. Lehner appeared unaware of the goal, only realizing it when Boqvist skated into the corner.
With Lehner pulled for an extra attacker, Stephenson made it a one-goal game with 1:14 remaining, but Vegas couldn’t equalize.
The Golden Knights have now registered 83 shots on goal in their past two games but scored only twice.
“You have to give some credit to both goalies, but we also have to look in the mirror,” DeBoer said. This has been a historical problem here, going dry at the wrong times. There are no excuses this time of year; you gotta find a way to win and step up in the most important moments.
“The circumstances have put us in a situation where we have no margin of error. That’s a tough way to play … we don’t have the luxury of being able to relax and play loose this time of year.”
Game Notes
Vegas D Shea Theodore recorded his 200th point with the Knights, assisting Kolesar’s goal. Knights F Jonathan Marchessault registered his 200th career assist with his helper on Stephenson’s goal.
UP NEXT
- New Jersey: Hosts Buffalo on Thursday.
- Vegas: Hosts Washington on Wednesday.
