New Jersey is 23-10-4-4 in season opening games since the 1982-83 season.
New Jersey is 23-10-4-4 in season opening games since the 1982-83 season.
The New Jersey Devils earned their first regular season victory in a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Erik Haula scored, while goaltender Vitek Vanecek made 32 saves on 35 shots. Jonas Siegenthaler earned a team-leading three assists. It was the third time the Swiss defenseman earned three points in a single game.
"I know consistently through the game we can be a lot better," said Ruff. "I had individuals that didn't have a very good night. I can point to a lot of different players and a lot of different lines. I thought every line had something missing, so it was hard to get some continuous flow in the game when maybe two guys are going pretty good, and one guy wasn't."
Lineup versus Detroit
New Jersey
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Tyler Toffoli - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt
Ondrej Palat - Erik Haula - Alexander Holtz
Tomas Nosek - Michael McLeod - Curtis Lazar
Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Kevin Bahl - John Marino
Brendan Smith - Luke Hughes
Vitek Vanecek
Detroit
Alex DeBrincat - Dylan Larkin - David Perron
Robby Fabbri - J.T. Compher - Lucas Raymond
Michael Rasmussen - Andrew Copp - Daniel Sprong
Klim Kostin - Joe Veleno - Christian Fischer
Jake Walman - Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot - Jeff Petry
Shayne Gostisbehere - Justin Holl
Ville Husso
Five Things
1. A Slow Start Could Have Proved Costly
The Red Wings were the better team for the first 25 minutes of the game. They controlled the play from the puck drop and had the first four shots on goal. Detroit was quicker and spent most of the first period hemming the Devils in their zone.
"We didn't skate very well in the first period," Ruff told ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan during the second period. "I thought our puck play so far hasn't been real sharp."
2. Vitek Vanecek Starting Strong
That is the perfect segue to Vitek Vanecek's dominant start in net.
"It could have been 5-0 after the first. (Vanecek) played great all game," Hamilton said. "He's a good goalie, and that's what good goalies do."
New Jersey's netminder was under siege at times in the opening period but looked poised in the crease, stopping all 14 shots faced. He appeared to be the only Devils player ready for the 7:30 P.M. start time.
3. Jack Hughes is in Midseason Form
Jack Hughes took center stage at Prudential Center. He earned his first multi-goal game of the season, scoring two goals in the second period.
The first goal came on the power play from behind the goal line on the side of the ice after he shot the puck off of Husso's back.
"You guys have seen me score those goals my whole career, so I think goalies have a pretty good read on me that I like to shoot from those spots," Hughes said. "But that was just where I wanted to put it. I think it went right where I wanted it to go."
The 22-year-old finished the game with 18:54 of ice time, the most among forwards, four shots, two goals, and two penalties, including roughing and slashing.
"He ruined his chance at the Lady Byng," said Ruff after the game. That's the new Jack Hughes."
4. The Penalty Kill Needs Time to Gel
The Red Wings scored three goals, two of which were earned while on the man advantage. Alex DeBrincat and Robby Fabbri scored in the third period, while Nosek, Siegenthaler, and Marino were on the ice. As a unit, the players on the ice looked disconnected and struggled to find the cohesion from last season. With Nosek still adjusting to New Jersey's system, the penalty kill units may need time to get on the same page.
5. Tyler Toffoli Earns His First Point as a Devil
New Jersey's biggest offseason acquisition wasted no time earning his first point as a Devil. He collected the primary assist on Hughes' second goal of the night.
The 31-year-old played 16:16, including 3:57 on the man advantage. He finished the game with two shots on goal, one blocked shot and two hits.