Devils' 4-2 Win vs. Flames: Vanecek Delivers

The New Jersey Devils extended their winning streak to three games, thanks to solid performances from Vitek Vanecek & the Nico Hischier line

The New Jersey Devils may be starting to feel it. After a gritty 2-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday (Dec. 7), the Devils continued the good vibes on the road with a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Here are three takeaways ahead of their tilt against the Edmonton Oilers this afternoon to wrap up their road trip. 

Vanecek Rebounds

It's no secret that it's been tough sledding for Vitek Vanecek lately. Even in the Devils' 6-5 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 5, his rebound control was all over the place, making the game more difficult for his team than it needed to be. 

Last night was quite the opposite for Vanecek and in a good way. He finished the night making 23 saves on 25 shots while giving up two goals on 2.04 expected goals, meaning he stopped what was expected of him. It had been a while since we could say he had performed to expectations. 

Vanecek gave up a rebound here and there, but most did not result in a quality chance going to the Flames. There were a few instances where he'd leave a rebound but did a decent job of kicking it out of harm's way. 

And though he had help from the post a couple of times, Vanecek made timely saves when the Devils needed it. One rush chance in the third period stood out when Jonathan Huberdeau put a good backhander on Vanecek, but he swallowed the puck and didn't allow a rebound. 

The Devils also played well in front of Vanecek. If he did leave a rebound, they were there to sweep the puck away or get going in transition. Aside from Šimon Nemec's poor pinch that led to Yegor Sharangovich's shorthanded goal, the Devils’ defensemen were smart about when to jump into the play or not. 

And when someone did pinch, there was almost always a Devils forward back to cover. If the Devils did give up an odd-man rush or two, it's tough to remember; that has been one of their defensive strengths this season. 

That helped out their goalie, who needed a quality start in the worst way possible. With Akira Schmid starting to play better, the Devils' goaltending may be starting to trend upward.

Hischier Line Continues to Show Up

Their on-ice metrics weren't great, but the line of Ondrej Palát, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt had another solid game. They accounted for two of the Devils' five-on-five goals to help lead the team to the win.