Nico Hischier scored twice, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. This marks the Devils’ third straight win and their sixth in seven games.
Key Performances
Jesper Bratt contributed a goal and an assist, Timo Meier also found the net and Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves for the Devils, who now have a 14-10-1 record, including a 9-4-0 mark on the road.
“It’s not rocket science. You’ve got to go to the net hard, and good things happen,” Hischier said. “You have to simplify your game. That’s what we’ve done the last couple of games. We’ve got some lucky bounces, but you’re not getting them if you’re not going there.”
Flames’ Effort
Former Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri scored for Calgary. The Flames finished a six-game homestand with a 3-3-0 record, bringing their overall record to 11-13-3.
”In the second, I thought we got away from it. Still a tight game, but I thought we made it hard on ourselves,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund said. “We weren’t playing as fast, and we weren’t as efficient getting in on the forecheck.”
Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, making consecutive starts for the first time in his career, stopped 26 shots for the Flames.
Controversial Goal
The Devils took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period on a controversial goal. After Hischier mishandled the puck on a scoring chance, Flames forward Blake Coleman inadvertently banked a clearing attempt off Bratt and into the net. Seconds earlier, Hischier had slid into Wolf, knocking him off balance.
Calgary coach Ryan Huska challenged the goal for goalie interference, but the call stood. Officials explained that Coleman had sent Hischier into the goalie.
“The guys in the room have a lot of different views,” Huska said. “We didn’t feel there was a push on our part for him to go into the goalie, so that’s why we challenged.”
Sealing the Win
The Devils extended their lead to 3-1 in the third period when Wolf’s errant outlet pass was intercepted by Alexander Holtz, who set up Meier for a deflection goal. Kadri scored with 5:14 left, but Hischier secured the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
“We’re trying to elevate our game,” Hischier said. “I think we’ve done it so far, but there’s still another step in our game, especially to bring together a 60-minute hockey game.”
Upcoming Games
- Devils: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
- Flames: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.
