The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–3 in overtime last night, securing their 10th win of the season. With the victory, the Devils became the first team in the NHL to reach 10 wins this year.
New Jersey scored one goal in each period before clinching the win in overtime against the now 9-3-2 Canadiens.
The victory improved the Devils’ record to 10-4-0 overall and a perfect 6-0-0 at home.
Home wins so far:
- Oct. 16 – vs. Panthers, 3–1
- Oct. 18 – vs. Oilers, 5–3
- Oct. 22 – vs. Wild, 4–1
- Oct. 24 – vs. Sharks, 3–1
- Oct. 26 – vs. Avalanche, 4–3
- Nov. 6 – vs. Canadiens, 4–3
The Devils have allowed just 12 goals against at home this season. One key to their home dominance has been scoring first. They remain undefeated in games where they score first.
Jesper Bratt spoke with the media, including The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery, about the team’s hot start at home.
“It’s a great start,” Bratt said. “We want to be a hard team to play against in this building. We want to have good momentum playing here. For the start of the season, we’re really enjoying playing in front of our fans. So far, we’ve created a tough place to win against us in, and we want to continue that.”
Despite being the only team with 10 wins, New Jersey currently sits second in the league standings with 20 points, one behind the Colorado Avalanche (21 points, 8-1-5). The Devils have already faced Colorado twice this season, splitting the series.
Looking Ahead
Through 14 games, the Devils are in a strong position. They opened the season with a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes before rattling off an eight-game win streak. A challenging four-game West Coast road trip halted their momentum, but last night’s victory marked a solid return to form.
Injuries, however, remain a major storyline.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton exited the game during the second period, leaving the Devils to finish the night with five defensemen.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe addressed Hamilton’s status postgame with The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery:
“I don’t know how [Hamilton] is. He’ll be evaluated tomorrow and give us a better sense of where he’s at,” Keefe said. “It’s not an easy task — we’re already down important pieces. To play five guys for a little over half the game, you’re asking a lot. You have two young defensemen, and [Dennis] Cholowski is just starting to play for the first time all season. It was a lot to ask of our D corps. But I thought the forwards did a better job of helping out tonight, and we need more of that.”
Forward Dawson Mercer also briefly left the bench during the game but returned later. Despite the growing injury list, the Devils continue to find ways to win.
Firsts
Ondrej Palat scored his first goal of the season — a long-awaited moment, as he had recorded just one assist entering last night’s game.
Cody Glass, returning from injury, wasted no time making an impact. Less than two minutes into his first game back, he opened the scoring for New Jersey.
Though the Devils surrendered two goals in the third period, they forced overtime and ultimately sealed the win.
The Devils will host the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night, a team off to a 9-4-2 start. It will be Game 2 of New Jersey’s three-game homestand as they look to extend their perfect record at Prudential Center.