The New Jersey Devils extended their win streak to seven games last night with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks, powered by two goals from Dougie Hamilton and a strong performance in net by Jake Allen.
This marks the Devils’ hottest stretch in more than two years, with their only loss this season coming in the opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The team’s success has been a collective effort, but two players stood out in the win: Hamilton and Allen. Hamilton netted two goals, while Allen stopped 16 of 17 shots.
With the victory, New Jersey sits atop the NHL standings with 14 points and a 7-1-0 record. The current run is their longest winning streak since they won 13 straight from October 25 to November 21, 2022.
The Devils entered the second period trailing 1-0 but quickly turned the game around. Less than a minute into the period, Hamilton tied it with a power-play goal. Just over nine minutes later, he struck again, another power-play tally to give the Devils the lead.
Heading into the matchup, Hamilton had just one goal and one assist on the season. His two-goal night doubled his point total to four through eight games.
Perhaps even more impressive than Hamilton’s scoring was the team’s defensive dominance in the second period. The Devils outshot the Sharks 13-0, completely stifling San Jose’s offense.
Although the Sharks managed 10 shots in the third period, it was too little, too late.
Allen remained solid in net, allowing only one goal early in the game when Nico Hischier took a tripping penalty against Jeff Skinner. William Eklund capitalized on the ensuing power play, but that was the last puck to beat Allen all night.
Hischier redeemed himself with three assists, contributing to every Devils goal and bringing his season total to nine points.
Despite missing several key players, the Devils dominated from start to finish, with Hamilton, Allen, and Hischier leading the way.
New Jersey now turns its attention to tomorrow’s 1 p.m. matchup against the Colorado Avalanche as they look to extend their win streak to eight.
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