The New Jersey Devils handled the Vancouver Canucks 6-0 on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena, playing one of their more complete games the entire season. Thus far head coach Sheldon Keefe has voiced concerns about his team’s lapses and even pointed out their shortcomings in the third period of Sunday’s win against the the Ducks. However, the coach and team were anything but sparkling and didn’t hold back when talking about the full-game performance.
“Full marks for all three periods,” said Keefe after the game. “All four lines, special teams, goaltending, everything was good. I thought the guys stuck with the plan early on. Of course, scoring early, kinda helped us solidify our game and keep it a low event hockey game. The fact that our guys kept it comfortable I love as well.”
The scoring started early for the Devils as they took the lead just under a minute into the game. A goal from Nico Hischier sent the away team into the locker room with confidence and they come out in the second period to assert their dominance. They doubled the lead just minutes into the second period and didn’t look back. When all was settled, Hischier notched a goal and two assists in one of his better games of the early season.
Hischier wasn’t the only one who made his mark. Jack Hughes also had a goal and an assist, stamping his imprint on the game midway through the third period. For players like Hischier and Hughes, a performance like this is one that can not only boost their confidence but show proof-of-concept with what is being lauded as one of the best young teams in the NHL.
“We executed our game plan, pretty simple,” said Hischier after the game. “We didn’t give them much. For us, we know that if we have room we can make plays.”
Plays they certainly made as the Devils’ win their second in a row, negating their recent run of form that saw the club lose four consecutive games. Even more impressive is their ability to garner points on the road during a tough stretch that will see them travel to Calgary and Edmonton before returning home to play Montreal next week.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images