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The Devils Dominate In 4-1 Win Over The Jets

New Jersey Devils, Featured, Ice Hockey, Professional

March 22, 2024

Where has this New Jersey Devils team been all year? The Devils steam-rolled past the Winnipeg Jets winning 4-1 Thursday night at home.

The Devils were able to set the tone by scoring the first goal with a Jack Hughes power-play goal in the second period. This is the third consecutive game where the Devils have scored the first goal, which has benefited the team. It is much better to play in front than from behind like the Devils have been doing all season.

Winnipeg got the tying goal later in the second period from a filthy goal by Nikolaj Ehlers. But that was all the Jets had to show on the score sheet for the game.

New Jersey's special teams led the way to victory with 3 power-play goals. The Devils' top power-play unit thrived in this game, with two goals from Jack Hughes and a goal from Nico Hischier. The team's top power-play unit looked sharp by cycling the puck, having bodies moving around constantly, shooting the puck more often, and finishing off chances in front of the net. The power-play has been flourishing ever since Timo Meir was added to the top unit.

New Jersey's penalty kill was also a perfect 4/4 Thursday night. The Devils were constantly covering up shooting or passing lanes, clearing the puck when they got their chances, blocking shots efficiently, and protecting any pucks that got to the front of the net. The Devils were strong on both sides of special teams in this game.

New Jersey has been finding their stride in these last few games and a big reason for that is their new goaltender, Jake Allen. Allen has been fantastic in his short stint with the team, which continued Thursday night. Allen made 18-of-19 saves against the Jets to secure his third win of the season with the Devils. Allen has a .946 save percentage in his first four games with the team.

Allen was looking to resurge his career when he got traded to the Devils, and he sure has done that. It is much easier for a team to find their game and play cohesively with one another when they have a goaltender they can trust. Allen has been that guy for the Devils the past couple of weeks.

New Jersey still has an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to make the playoffs this season. They sit six points out of a playoff spot behind the Detroit Red Wings. With just 12 games remaining on the season, there is not much room for error at this point. The Devils must lean on their top guys like Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt to continue producing while getting quality goaltending from Jake Allen. The team has to just take it one game at a time.

The Devils have a big weekend ahead of them where they will host the Ottawa Senators Saturday night. Then, the following day, they will head out to Long Island for a date with the New York Islanders.

New Jersey ideally has to win both of these games, but it won't be easy. But, if they were to win both games, they would get their first win streak of 4 or more games this season. If they can do that, they have a lot to build on from in the home stretch of this season.