Game #12 Recap: Devils Dominate the Ducks in 6-2 Victory

The New Jersey Devils snapped a four-game skid with a 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at The Rock.

The Result: New Jersey Devils defeated the Anaheim Ducks by a final score of 6-2. The Devils are now 6-4-2 and the Ducks are 3-4-1.

The Game Stats: NHL.com Game Summary, NHL.com Event Summary, NHL.com Full Play-By-Play, NHL.com Shot Report, Natural Stat Trick Game Stats

The Game Highlights: NHL.com Video Recap

First Period

Stop me if you’ve heard this before but the Devils got off to a slow start against the Ducks. The Devils had two shots through the first five minutes of play and were not applying any pressure. Just over two minutes into the game Kurtis Macdermid dropped the gloves against Ross Johnston. Still, the fight was just as uneventful as the rest of the Devils’ start to the first period and nobody landed any significant punches.

With 15:13 remaining in the first period, Ducks wing Brock McGinn received a drop pass from Troy Terry at the point and fired a deep wrist shot as Terry skated in front of him. Jacob Markstrom was deep in his crease for some reason and the puck sailed by him on the short side just over his pad. Markstrom definitely wanted that shot back and it is a save he HAS to make 10 out of 10 times.

From that point on, the Devils seemed to wake up. The top two lines were able to generate sustained offensive zone time and create a ton of shots while skating around Ducks players in the offensive zone. The Devils had good traffic in front of the net and finished the period with 16 shots, which is impressive considering the sluggish start. Despite the high shot totals and offensive pressure, the Devils could not beat Ducks goaltender James Reimer, who outdueled Markstrom in the first. Head coach Sheldon Keefe even put Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jack Hughes together on the final shift of the period. Hischier almost connected with Hughes for a tip-in shot that would have surely beat Reimer, but the puck was deflected over Hughes’ stick. The period ended with the Ducks up 1-0, which was largely due to the play of Reimer.

Second Period

The Devils came out of the first intermission the way fans had hoped they would start the game and jumped all over the Ducks. Just over a minute into the period, with a delayed penalty call pending, the Devils displayed some slick passing entering the offensive zone. Nico Hischier fed a puck to Dawson Mercer, who whirled in the slot, passing to Timo Meier, who sent a touch pass to a trailing Jack Hughes. Hughes had his initial shot blocked but backhanded the bouncing puck home. 1-1.

One of the more troubling moments of the game came just over two minutes into the period. Curtis Lazar tried to thread his way between two Ducks defenders and defenseman Radko Gudas caught Lazar with a low hip check to the left leg. Lazar needed to be helped off the ice and was unable to put any pressure on his left leg. While I didn’t think the hit was overly dirty, Gudas has a reputation, and the hit was reminiscent of a knee-on-knee injury. Stefan Noesen did not like the hit either and was seen chirping with Gudas as the period progressed.

Noesen would respond on the score sheet as well. Following a D-to-D pass, Johnathan Kovacevic hit Noesen streaking into the slot and Noesen ripped a wrist shot through Reimer with Paul Cotter providing traffic in front. It was a hard shot from the slot, but the Reimer would like another crack at stopping that one. 2-1.

The remainder of the second period was all Devils, who were clearly the faster team tonight. The Devils exhibited solid passing through the neutral and offensive zones to create scoring opportunities. Jack Hughes knifed through the offensive zone at will, controlling the puck.

The first shift where the Ducks generated any sustained offensive pressure came with about eight minutes remaining in the period and the Devils immediately regained momentum in the following shift. The Ducks were called for too many men on the ice with three minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the period. On the ensuing power play, Jesper Bratt juked a defender at the top of the left circle and slid the puck to Noesen at the side of the net. Noesen backed to the net front and roofed the puck over Reimer in one motion for a beauty of a goal. 3-1.

The onslaught was not over as Cotter was able to join in the scoring before the end of the period. With just over a minute remaining, Dawson Mercer drove hard to the net through the left circle and threw a backhand shot on the net. The rebound popped out in front and Cotter was able to put it in the back of the net. 4-1.

It was a dominant period and easily one of the Devils’ best this year. The Ducks only managed three shots during the period. The Devils’ power play scored. Everything was coming up roses for the Devils with the exception of the Lazar injury.

Third Period

Anaheim pushed back to begin the third and opened the period by driving to New Jersey’s net. Following one of the early net-front pressures, Frank Vatrano got into a wrestling match with Cotter and both were called for roughing. During the four-on-four that followed, the Devils took the game over again.

About one minute into the four-on-four play, Dougie Hamilton wired a long stretch pass to Hischier at the Ducks’ blue line. Hischier drove to the net around a Ducks defender and unleashed a perfect shot into the top corner of the net with a defenseman on his back. 5-1. What a shot!

Anaheim played stronger than they did in the second period and some of the Devils’ issues from the past few games reappeared in the third frame. With just under seven minutes remaining, the Ducks pushed play through the neutral zone, creating a three-on-two against Hamilton and Dillon. Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier fed Cam Fowler in the center of the ice who connected with Ryan Strome. After initially pressuring Gauthier, Hamilton remained too far outside and could not defend Strome cutting to the net. Strome corralled the puck and slid from one side of the net to the other to beat Markstrom. 5-2.

At 6:21 in the period, Meier collided with Reimer who left the net to catch a floating puck and received a high-sticking penalty. It was a bad penalty to take up by three goals in the third period. A power play goal for the Ducks could have made the game more nerve-wracking than the Devils would like. Fortunately, despite some scoring chances, the Devils penalty kill was able to escape without allowing any further damage.

For the cherry on top, with a minute remaining in the game, Dillion launched a pass to Ondrej Palat in the neutral zone, who completed a nifty touch pass to Erik Haula streaking into the offensive zone. Haula snapped a low shot by Reimer and the Devils were able to finish the Ducks. 6-2.

Takeaways

1. Slow Starts

The slow starts must stop. Why does this team need to be punched in the face before they start playing with a purpose? I do not think Sheldon Keefe is responsible for this issue because we have seen it before under other coaches. Lindy Ruff dealt with it last year. The players in that locker room have the answer and need to start playing hard from the opening bell instead of feeling out each game.

2. Nico is Thriving in all Phases

The Devils’ captain’s hot streak continued, and it was fun to watch. Hischier scored his league-leading ninth goal tonight and was dominant in the faceoff dot, especially early in the game. Nico won 12 out of 17 faceoffs at even strength tonight for a win percentage of 71%.

As the cliche goes, not everything that matters ends up on the stat sheet, and here is another example provided by Hischier. While up 5-1 in the third period, with between nine and 10 minutes remaining (I can’t remember the exact time), the Ducks were applying some pressure in the Devils’ zone. The Ducks executed a passing play setting up a one-timer. The shot, or stick, ultimately failed, but who dove in front of the potential shot? Nico Hischier. He wasn’t taking the game for granted and wasn’t taking a play off on defense despite the lead. He didn’t give it the one-legged flamingo to pretend to block it. He laid out. You have to love that.

3. Concerns Still There

There are still some concerns that raised their ugly heads tonight. Markstrom was tested more in the third period, but I would not say he had a heavy workload tonight. The goal he did allow in the first period was one that he needed to save for this team. Hamilton’s positioning on the Ducks’ second goal, and frankly the hustle, was poor. Dillon took an undisciplined penalty as he was being outskated by Ducks forward Troy Terry in the first period and Meier’s penalty was also unnecessary. Against other teams more dangerous teams, the Devils cannot provide the opponent the chance to make it 5-3 with plenty of time remaining in the third period. While these issues were overshadowed by the good result tonight, the struggles on the back end are still troubling.

4. Noesen’s Line was Dominant

The third line of Cotter, Haula, and Noesen played excellent hockey tonight. Noesen scored two goals. Haula and Cotter each had a goal. Noesen’s net-front presence is very dangerous and it was on full display tonight. This third line can carry the offense and score the gritty goals that are so important.

5. Had to Have It

Ultimately, the Devils had to have this win and they dominated. Yes, the Ducks were playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road, but that is not a valid excuse. The Devils cannot use that excuse for poor play in back-to-back games either. The Ducks are rebuilding, but a win counts for two points no matter the circumstances and the Devils desperately needed those points tonight.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of the game tonight? What do you think of Nico Hischier’s start to the season? Did anyone else stand out? What issues still need to be addressed? Thank you for reading and GO DEVILS!