Devils' Allen Leads the Way in 4-0 Win vs. Canadiens
Jake Allen made 34 saves for his fourth shutout of the season in a 4-0 win vs. the Montreal Canadiens.
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It hasn't been pretty for the New Jersey Devils since Christmas, but they closed out their pre-4 Nations break schedule with an emphatic 4-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, their 10th straight win at the Bell Center in Montreal.
The Devils started well and had a response after Thursday's 3-1 debacle against the Vegas Golden Knights. There were some shaky moments before Paul Cotter put the team up 2-0, but Jake Allen was tremendous in his fourth shutout of the season.
Allen Stayed Hot
Jacob Markström's injury could have been a death knell for the Devils, but it hasn't, thanks to Allen's excellent play. The Devils got out to a 1-0 lead via a Jesper Bratt goal, but there were some tenuous moments afterward.
There was Allen's save on Cole Caufield in the final seconds of the first after an egregious turnover from Dawson Mercer, but there was more to come. The Canadiens had a strong push to start the second, but he made some timely saves, some of which were of the high-danger variety.
Allen made a big stop on Josh Anderson, who got in behind Luke Hughes and the Devils' defense via a high flip. He also made a couple of timely saves on Anderson on the doorstep just a few minutes after he denied him on that previously mentioned partial breakaway. The Canadiens had the better of play before Cotter gave the Devils a 2-0 lead, but Allen stood on his head and kept the team ahead.
The Devils put the game out of reach in the third, thanks to goals from Jack and Luke Hughes. But even with 15 seconds left, Allen made a stop on an Owen Beck penalty shot to preserve the shutout.
The Devils’ netminder finished the night making 34 saves for the shutout while stopping 3.89 goals above expected. His save percentage is up to .912 for the season, and he's been particularly excellent since Markström's injury against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 22.
In seven games since Markström's injury, Allen has a .934 save percentage, an .875 high-danger SV%, and has saved 10.05 goals above expected. That's even outplaying Markström to a degree. That's how good he's been.
Some Good, Some Bad at 5-on-5
Despite the win, I didn't love how the Devils played at five-on-five. They generated just 1.77 expected goals and allowed 3.32, meaning they got killed in the quality battle by quite a bit.
That's why Allen's performance was so pivotal, but there were also some things I did like better about the Devils' offensive performance, even though they did not win the quality battle.
The first goal from Bratt came off some work we haven't seen enough of from the team since Christmas. It started with the fourth line, which gained possession and sustained offensive zone time.
Brenden Dillon and Dougie Hamilton did well to pinch up and keep the puck in the offensive zone, leading to Tomáš Tatar getting the puck behind the net. He then made a great pass to Bratt from behind the net, who made no mistake about the shot.
The Devils' second goal was quite similar. This time, the third line of Cotter, Justin Dowling and Stefan Noesen sustained offensive zone time, hemming in the Canadiens. Noesen won a tough board battle behind the net, leading to the Devils out-changing the Canadiens and getting Jack Hughes and Bratt on the ice.
Bratt fired a shot on goal, leading to Sam Montembault leaving a rebound that Cotter cleaned up for the 2-0 lead. That was a huge moment in the game because the Canadiens were playing quite well. After that, it felt like the Devils took some of the life out of their opponent.
The Devils will primarily remain a rush team with how they're built, but getting some of those hard-working goals, as we saw from Bratt and Cotter, where they out-change teams, would go a long way in helping the Devils find their offensive game again.
Hughes & Bratt Led the Way Offensively
When Jack Hughes and Bratt go, so do the Devils. They were instrumental in the team's 3-2 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week, as they accounted for the team's two five-on-five goals.
Against the Canadiens, Bratt scored, they both collected the assists on Cotter's goal, and Hughes put the cherry on top when he scored to make it 3-0 just as a Canadiens power play was expiring early in the third.
The Devils did not have the best game at five-on-five, but Hughes and Bratt were excellent, totaling expected goals shares (xG%) above 70 percent; Hughes was at 74.52 percent, while Bratt was at 70.19 percent. Hughes was on the ice for all four Devils goals, while Bratt was on for three.
Nico Hischier should be back by the time the team returns from the 4 Nations break, so Hughes and Bratt will have some reinforcements (maybe through a trade, too). But they were crucial in this stretch before the 4 Nations break, helping the Devils to wins over the Penguins and Canadiens.
Quick Hits
No Hischier, No Markström, and no Jonas Siegenthaler, but the Devils' penalty kill continues to excel. Part of the reason is that Allen has been outstanding, but the team in front of him is doing an excellent job killing penalties. The Canadiens had two power plays but generated just two shots on goal. The Devils made it tough for the Canadiens to enter the zone cleanly, and when they did, they didn't let them get set up and almost immediately cleared pucks down the ice. Their penalty kill is 18 for its last 18, and they should get Hischier and Markström back soon after the break.
Was it a perfect game for Šimon Nemec? No, but it was a noticeable improvement from his effort against the Golden Knights on Thursday. His passing was much sharper, and he even made nice defensive plays, like when he covered for Luke Hughes and got a stick in to alter a Jake Evans shot off the rush early in the first period. It was definitely a step in the right direction.
Game Score Chart
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