The New Jersey Devils left Newark on a three-game winning streak. They went to British Columbia to begin a hard road trip through Western Canada. That is a very daunting road trip at the beginning of it because you’re playing three skilled teams far away from home.
It started against the Vancouver Canucks, the worst team of the three. The Devils took big lead in that game despite it being a very tough road game for them, and they hung on to win.
A few nights later, in Alberta, they faced off against Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers squad, which is one of the best in the NHL. They were trailing 3-1 in the third period but scored three goals to win the game 4-3 in regulation.
That was an amazing win for the Devils as they snatched victory from the hands of defeat. Everybody would have signed up for four points out of six on this very difficult road trip. However, once you roll into the last game at 2-0-0, it is fair to want a sweep.
The New Jersey Devils needed a road trip with this kind of dominance.
When they arrived on the other side of Alberta, it was clear that the Calgary Flames would give them a challenge. They are a legit Stanley Cup contender that hasn’t been the best versions of themselves lately.
Things didn’t look amazing to start either, as Nazem Kadri gave the Flames a 1-0 lead very early in the game. Luckily, it didn’t take the Devils long to respond as they tied it up very quickly thanks to a goal from Nathan Bastian.
Later in the first period, Fabian Zetterlund and Miles Wood scored 3-1 in favor of New Jersey. We saw some amazing plays lead to these goals and the Devils were off and running going into the second period.
Elias Lindholm scored one for Calgary early in the second period, putting the New Jersey Devils on their toes. At 3:12 of the third period, Nikita Zadrov scored to tie the game. Despite some amazing chances on both ends, the score remained tied going into overtime.
Not long into the free hockey, the Devils drew a power play which is always good news in overtime. After some good chances, the Devils finally won the game thanks to a power play goal by Fabian Zetterlund.
His second goal of the game, thanks to some great work by Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamiton, and Jack Hughes to get Calgary’s penalty killers moving. This was an outstanding ending to a great game.
They did it. The Devils went 3-0-0 on this road trip and are now 9-3-0 on the season. They have won six straight games.
It appears they are a good team, but we have a long way to go to figure that out. Finally, the Devils will come home after a long road trip.
Oddly, the Flames are their next opponent, but that isn’t their next game, as they first have a stop against the New York Islanders on Monday night. It should be a very interesting stretch of hockey now as we get into November. We can only hope that this level of play continues.