Pat Pickens
The New Jersey Devils offense is so hot at home they can make a potential Vezina Trophy finalist look like a sieve.
The Devils scored six times on 28 shots against Logan Thompson and routed the Washington Capitals 7-3 for their seventh straight win at Prudential Center.
Jack Hughes scored twice and had three assists, and Jesper Bratt had a goal and four assists. Dawson Mercer scored twice too, including an empty-net goal, which was his 100th career goal. New Jersey won for the seventh time in 10 games.
The Devils Offense Stayed White Hot at Home
Devils fans are allowed to wonder where these offensive outbursts have been all season long.
The Devils have 26 goals in their past five games at home dating back to their 3-0 shutout loss at the Rock against the Detroit Red Wings. They have scored 44 goals in 10 home games since the Olympic break, including that goose egg.
So two nights after an awful start in their three-goal loss to the New York Rangers, and against a goalie who entered play leading the NHL in Goals Saved Above Average (23) and second in the league in save% (.912), the Devils came out flying.
Cody Glass scored on New Jersey’s second shot on goal at 5:22 of the first, then Mercer put the Devils up 2-0 2:10 later when he scored his first goal in 11 games.
“We came out pretty fast,” Mercer said. “A lot of speed. You look at our goals, and we scored in multiple different ways, but it’s good to feel this [and] get those chances in the O-zone and capitalize on them.”
The Caps, who are entered play three points back of the Eastern Conference’s second wild card, fired back swiftly. Cole Hutson made it 2-1, then Pierre-Luc Dubois scored just 26 seconds after Brenden Dillon took a tripping penalty that tied the game.
But the Devils scored three in a row, and Hughes and Bratt had a hand in them all. They first set up Dougie Hamilton‘s go-ahead goal late in the first period, then Bratt set up Hughes in the second period then again in the third for Hughes’ 24th of the year.
“We’ve played with each other so much that I know usually that Jack is not too far away from me,” Bratt said. “Usually I know he’s somewhere around [the net].”
The Devils Finally Pulled Away Against Washington
The Devils blew third-period leads in two of their three games against the Capitals. They were up 2-0 entering the third period in their shootout win in Washington on Nov. 15 and led 3-2 with 11 minutes to play in their OT loss to the Caps at home Dec. 27.
So after coughing another two-goal lead in mere seconds, and leading by a goal at the game’s halfway point, some fans and on the Devils bench may have been worrying of a Caps comeback.
Yet, that never ended up happening, since the Devils finally found the extra goals to finally bury the feisty Capitals, even while allowing chances and goals and forcing Jake Allen (29 saves) to face 35 scoring chances and 12 high-danger chances against.
“The story of the game is our offensive execution,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We were not very good defensively tonight. We gave up a lot. Jake had a lot of work. That gets overshadowed because of the volume of scoring, and we’ll take that, but there continues to be lots to desire for us in how we’re defending.
“But offensively, there’s a lot to like with how we executed with the opportunities that we had.”
In the past, the Devils have been able to outscore their defensive deficiencies, with stars like Bratt, Hischier and Hughes leading the way. With Hughes finally healthy, the Devils have nine multi-goal wins in their past 11 victories.
Spoiling the Caps’ potential march to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in what could be Alexander Ovechkin’s final NHL season, must feel good for the Devils. With seven games left, and the Devils eight points out of the final playoff spot in the East, Keefe is hoping the Devils can generate more good vibes.
“You don’t play the way we are, win the games we are and execute on offense the way that we are if you’re not feeling good and having fun,” Keefe said. “It’s a mental grind right now with where we’re at in the standings.
“The schedule is daunting, in terms of the volume of games and the caliber of teams. Every team we’re playing is either in the playoffs and trying to hand onto their spot or right there and trying to clinch one.”
