The New Jersey Devils are returning from their Canadian west coast swing with two wins out of three and a second shutout off the back of Jake Allen’s 31-save performance. Last night’s win over Edmonton wasn’t pretty as they had to rely on fantastic goaltending from backup goalie Allen, who did enough to make the openings needed for the Devils to sneak in their goals and claim a win over a beleaguered Oilers team.
“We win on the back of some incredible goaltending,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe after the game. “He gives us a chance to get going in the game so the credit goes to him, certainly. I thought we had a bit of a ‘bend-don’t-break’ type of mentality throughout.”
The team certainly didn’t break as they faced an Oiler team that took the game to them from the opening whistle. The Devils didn’t exhibit their usual face-paced offense as they were constantly skating backwards in the hopes of keeping a high-powered, but unusually ineffective, Oiler offense at bay. The goals also came at opportune times. Stefan Noesen’s opening effort helped to sway the momentum as Allen’s goaltending up to that point was what kept the Devils in the game.
The team continued to crash the net in the second period, doubling the lead off a power play goal from Jesper Bratt. From there the Devils bunkered as the Oilers peppered the net with chances, showcasing just how good Allen can be as the last defensive hope when Markstrom needs a rest.”
“I thought the third period was our best period,” said Keefe. “In terms of defending less and not much happening around our net. And then pressing and extending our lead. It’s a good effort from our guys here throughout the trip.”
That trip has seen the Devils reverse their fortunes as they come back to the Prudential Center on Thursday to face the Montreal Canadiens. A decisive win against Vancouver and a gutsy performance against Edmonton will see Keefe’s men have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with some of the better teams in the league.
“I think the western trip we’ve had here has been good for us overall,” said Noesen about the team’s effort. “Tonight we were patient. We were able to get one in the first, get one in the second and a great play by Timo (Meier) to finish us off.”
The Devils have still played more games than anyone else in the NHL and sit atop the Metropolitan division with the New York Rangers fast on their heels. While they more than likely won’t maintain that lead once teams have caught up with games, it is clear that the Devils won’t be the sluggish club seen last season and have every intention of being in the playoffs when all is said and done.