The 11-4-0 New Jersey Devils remain undefeated at home with a perfect 7-0-0 record, claiming the top spot in the Eastern Conference after a shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins, who sit third in the conference, left Newark with one point.
Rookie Arseny Gritsyuk opened the scoring late in the first period, notching his third goal of the season. Pittsburgh answered in the second when former Devil Ryan Graves scored his first goal of the year against his old team. The remainder of regulation and overtime went scoreless, sending the game to a shootout.
Due to injuries, the Devils’ lineup was adjusted as follows:
Forwards
Stefan Noesen – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat – Cody Glass – Arseny Gritsyuk
Paul Cotter – Juho Lammikko – Luke Glendening
Defensemen
Jonas Siegenthaler – Simon Nemec
Brenden Dillon – Luke Hughes
Dennis Cholowski – Colton White
Quick Notes:
- Colton White made his first start of the season. The defenseman hadn’t played in the NHL since 2022–23, recording one shot on goal in 9:55 of ice time. His last NHL appearance came with the Anaheim Ducks.
- In a scary moment, captain Nico Hischier took a puck to the face and briefly left the game. He later returned, but while he was being evaluated, Jack Hughes filled in on his line.
In the shootout, Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, while goaltender Jake Allen delivered a stellar performance, stopping 33 of 34 shots. His most crucial save came against Sidney Crosby in the shootout to seal the win.
Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs also deserves credit, making an impressive stop on a dangerous shot from Jack Hughes.
With the victory, the Devils improve to 11-4-0 and continue their pursuit of history. The franchise record for most consecutive home wins to start a season is eight, set by the 1987–88 Devils. New Jersey is now 8-0-0 this season when scoring first. The team has gone to overtime in three straight home games, defeating Colorado in overtime on October 26, Montreal in overtime on November 6, and Pittsburgh in a shootout last night.
The Devils will look to extend their home winning streak Monday night when they host the New York Islanders. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m.