Devils' 5-2 Win vs. Penguins: Back on Track

The New Jersey Devils got a much-needed 5-2 win that saw everyone in their lineup contribute against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It's too early in the season to say any game is a must-win, but the New Jersey Devils sure could've used a win last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They got what they were looking for, defeating the Penguins 5-2 with no Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier. Here are three takeaways from the victory. 

Everybody Contributed

With Hughes, Hischier and Meier out, the Devils needed contributions from up and down their lineup to defeat a Penguins team that came into last night on a five-game winning streak. Fortunately, everyone showed up. 

It started in the first period with the Devils trailing 1-0 and on a penalty kill. Erik Haula forced a turnover in the neutral zone and sprung the Devils on a 2-on-1 with Curtis Lazar alongside him. He fed the puck to Lazar, who shot it through Jarry's five-hole to tie the game. 

After Bryan Rust's second goal, Nathan Bastian scored seconds later to tie the game up at 2-2. It was an important time for him to get his first goal of the season, as the Devils had momentum before Rust scored to make it 2-1. 

Eventually, the Devils' top-six took over the game. Jesper Bratt scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal early in the third period off a great play by Luke Hughes (more on him in a bit). 

Alex Holtz added an insurance goal to make it 4-2 off a beautiful feed from behind the net from Dawson Mercer, and Tyler Toffoli iced the game with a wicked wrister to make it 5-2. 

Hughes' return may be looming, so perhaps that was a motivating factor for the team. But with the Penguins hot and the Devils needing to stop the bleeding after three consecutive losses, that type of performance from everyone in the lineup is what they needed. 

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