Devils 4, Canadiens 0: Hughes brothers lead the charge in rebound win
The Devils were able to get two points and head into the break on a winning note.
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By Tyler Cordell (@TylerCordellNHL)
The New Jersey Devils were able to head into the break on a winning note as they picked up a shutout victory in Montreal.
Here are a few notes on the game:
1st line leads the way
The Devils went into Montreal very shorthanded as captain Nico Hischier, shut down defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, and starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom were all out due to injury.
This didn’t prevent the big guns from leading New Jersey to a season series sweep of the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon.
Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt were both outstanding, each having two points (one goal, one assist) and playing massive roles in the win.
Jack and Jesper were the only two Devils forwards able to have sustained pressure on the Canadiens.
Both players posted a 70+ xGF% and also happened to be the only two forwards above the 50% mark in terms of xG share.
While they were creating the most, they also gave up the least, allowing just one high-danger chance at even strength; the best mark of any Devils forward line.
This type of play will need to continue for the Devils to sustain success while they continue to get healthy and make their push toward the playoffs.
A massive performance from Jake Allen
Jake Allen had a stellar showing against his former team. The Devils’ structure seemed to stand out early in the game against the Habs, allowing just one shot on goal in the first 10 minutes.
As the game progressed, the Devils became much more reliant on Allen and he stepped up to the plate every single time he was needed.
Following the 1st goal by Jesper Bratt, the Canadiens seemed to wake up and started putting more pressure on the Devils.
Early in the 2nd period, Allen had multiple crucial saves to maintain the Devils 1-0 lead, including a massive breakaway stop on Josh Anderson.
Shortly after New Jersey earned themselves some breathing room with a 2-0 goal. That proved to be more than enough as every time Montreal was able to generate some type of opportunity, Allen would slam the door shut. He stopped all seven high-danger chances he faced and 34 Habs shots in total.
To put one final stamp on how great Allen was, the Devils allowed 3.32 expected goals, while they only generated 1.77 expected goals.
Knowing these stats, you may expect the Devils to lose the game outright, so to win it 4-0 shows you just how impressive Allen was.
The PK came through again
The penalty kill once again stepped up and played a big role in their win over the Habs. Although the Devils only took two penalties, they seemed to benefit the Devils more than it hurt them.
Since Jack Hughes has been added to the penalty kill, he has been creating more scoring chances than anybody in the league.
He came through again, netting short-handed goal that seemed to stick a dagger right into the side of the Habs before their hopes of a comeback even began.
On both of the Canadiens’ power plays, the Devils gave up little to nothing and seemed to build momentum off of each kill.
Jack continues to be a legitimately good option on the penalty kill. I can’t wait to see how long he can continue to create at this rate while shorthanded.
Quick hits
Although the underlying numbers didn’t look too good, I thought Luke Hughes played an impactful game. He obviously had the one goal but also seemed to be close to clicking on a few plays offensively, and it was nice to see him rewarded as he hammered home his 5th of the year to put the final nail in the coffin of the Habs. He also led all skaters with just over 23 minutes of TOI.
Brett Pesce is so good defensively. He led all Devils defensemen in xGF percentage at over 72%, with the next closest being his partner Johnathan Kovacevic at 59%. Every game he makes so many small, tidy defensive plays that continue to make life easier for all of his teammates. Whether it be blocking a shot, or just getting a stick in the lane at the right time, he does it all in his own end.