Devils Tame the Wild in Sixth Consecutive Victory

Minnesota responded with a strong few shifts to end the frame, but Daws held down the fort to preserve the lead.

The Devils outshot Minnesota 14-8 in the opening period.

Period Two

The Wild had some zone time to begin the period, but Jack Hughes stole the puck and sprang himself on a breakaway that Gustavsson steered aside.

The Devils endured a few minutes of pressure but eventually responded with a strong shift set up by Luke Hughes, controlling the blue line. Gustavsson faced an onslaught of chances from in close, but made a sprawling play to cover the puck and force a faceoff.

Off the faceoff, the Devils cycled, and Brenden Dillon sniped a shot from the blue line that lit the lamp at 6:08 for his second goal in as many games. Mercer and Simon Nemec had the assists.

Dillon was tagged for an interference penalty, giving Minnesota’s number-one-ranked power play its first opportunity of the night. The Devils killed it off.

The Devils were called for interference again with just over 3:30 left in the period, giving the Wild a second consecutive power play. Again, they held Minnesota off the board for their 20^th successful penalty kill in a row.

The shots were even at 11 apiece in the middle frame.

Period Three

Minnesota had a great look in the opening minutes of play, but Daws and Dougie Hamilton combined to hold their lead at two.

Ondrej Palat made a strong play for the puck and drew a slashing penalty, sending the Devils to the power play. Right off the faceoff, Arseny Gritsyuk blasted a wrister from the high slot for his first NHL goal at 4:53. Timo Meier had the lone assist.

The Wild got on the board at 10:37 with a goal from Matt Boldy, who waited out a sliding Nemec and beat Daws up high through a screen. Joel Eriksson Ek and Zeev Buium had the assists.

The Devils responded with a strong shift as Jonas Siegenthaler rang a shot off the post. Meier was high-sticked along the far boards, and the whistle blew for the injury, but no penalty was assessed. The officials gathered to discuss it and still decided not to call the penalty.

After the defensive zone draw, New Jersey responded and threw a handful of shots at Gustavsson. Mercer had a good look from the slot that was steered aside as the clock dipped under 4:30 left in the game.

Luke Hughes was tagged for a questionable interference call at 15:52, drawing frustration from the Devils and head coach Sheldon Keefe, who berated the official from the front of the bench.

The Devils killed it off as the raucous Prudential Center crowd rose to its feet.

Minnesota pulled Gustavsson in favor of the extra attacker, and Jesper Bratt hit the empty net from distance at 18:43 to put a dagger in the contest. Siegenthaler had the lone assist.

The Devils outshot the Wild 35-31 in the 4-1 victory.

Takeaways

Special Teams Reign Supreme

The Devils have played very well at even strength so far this season, but special teams have been elite through seven games.

They scored on one of their two power play opportunities against Minnesota and are operating at 30% on the season, which is tied for third best in the league.

Even more impressive is the penalty kill. The Minnesota Wild had the number one-ranked power play coming into the game, and the Devils successfully killed off all three opportunities that it had on Wednesday night. It has a 96% success rate on the season and is riding a streak of 21 straight penalties killed off.

Goaltending Depth

The Devils are in a blessed position to have two goalies in Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, who are both capable of holding down the starting role. With Markstrom out due to injury, Allen has stepped in flawlessly to backstop the Devils against some high-powered offenses.

Nico Daws was also up to the challenge as he made his season debut against the Wild and allowed just one goal. He made 29 saves on 30 shots for a .967 save percentage and stopped 2.03 goals above expected. He gives the Devils another option that they can be confident in to handle the net.

Instant Grits

Arseny Gritsyuk has made an immediate impact since arriving in the NHL. In seven games, he has notched five points, including his first NHL goal against the Wild.

Though he is known for his elite shot, he surprised many with his playmaking abilities in the early portion of his career. He drives plays and finds open lanes to thread passes to teammates in better positions.

Additionally, he is steadily improving on the defensive end of the puck, making smart plays to disrupt opponents when needed. He is hard on pucks and never quits on a play with strong forechecks and backchecks.

His rounded game allows Keefe to move him up and down the lineup, which was the case against Minnesota, as he moved into the top six to play alongside Nico Hischier. Not only did he fit right in, proving that he can keep up with some of the best players in the league, but he also gave the Devils some insurance late in the game when they needed it most.

Injuries

Pregame, it was revealed that Cody Glass sustained an upper-body injury during Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keefe noted that he had imaging done, but he hadn’t had the chance to see the results yet.

Nonetheless, he doesn’t expect the injury to be anything too long-term.

Up Next

The Devils continue their homestand on Friday night when they take on the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks sit 31^st in the league and are still looking for their first win, with a 0-4-2 record. Most recently, they lost 4-3 to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

San Jose will face the New York Rangers on Thursday night before crossing the river to take on the Devils on the second half of a back-to-back.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. on MSGSN.