Devils 4, Canadiens 3: Stars shine bright on Saturday night

The big guns came through for the Devils in a thrilling overtime victory.

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By Tyler Cordell (@TylerCordellNHL)

The New Jersey Devils were led by their stars in a much needed win over Montreal. Here are my thoughts on the Saturday night matchup at the Bell Centre: 

A perfect start 

The Devils couldn’t have scripted a better start to Saturday’s matchup in Montreal. Captain Nico Hischier got the Devils started on a backdoor tap in on a beautiful setup from Jesper Bratt. Bratt seems to be the straw that stirs the drink on any line he is on, and his line was dominant tonight from start to finish.

The ‘second line’ was able to control the play at even strength, as scoring chances were 6-1 in the Devil's favour with this line on the ice and also had an xGF% of over 85 as well.

Bratt was able to get the Devils a two goal lead by sneaking a backhand through Dobes five-hole taking the hometown crowd out of the game in the first period. This start was important for the Devils in their win over the Habs. 

The 4th line provided a spark

If the Devils are going to be going on a long playoff run, this is the type of play they’re going to need from their 4th line.

The combination of Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, and Tomas Tatar had an outstanding night for New Jersey. In more than eight minutes of TOI at even strength, the scoring chances were 6-2 and the high danger chances were 4-0.

Tatar was able to net his 5th of the year on a nice setup from Hamilton and a scramble in front. This is the perfect type of production from a 4th line, as they gave up virtually nothing at even strength and were still able to contribute on the scoreboard. They finished with an xGF of 93% on the night.

Lazar was also able to draw a penalty and send the Devils to a PP. The Devils weren’t able to capitalize on the power play opportunity but that is the type of play that can really help come playoff time.

A strong start from Jake Allen