The New Jersey Devils came into their Saturday night matchup badly needing a win. Ironically, they were heading to Los Angeles, where most of the fans were watching Game 7 of the World Series. In fact, at one point, the LA Kings put the World Series on the scoreboard, distracting their own fanbase during the game.
The Devils have no dog in this fight, so they could focus on hockey. It was a huge game for multiple players on the ice. Dawson Mercer scored two shorthanded goals, continuing his hot start to the season. Brian Halonen scored his first goal in the NHL. Jonas Siegenthaler had his best game in a while, but the star was between the pipes.
Jacob Markstrom had his first start since signing a controversial two-year deal that was announced on Friday night. Some weren’t happy about the impacts that come with the extension, including the impacts on the salary cap.
It didn’t take Markstrom long to bounce back and show why the Devils felt he was worth $6 million per season.
After playing terribly to start the year to the tune of an .830 save percentage, Markstrom dominated the Kings. He stopped 43 of 44 shots, as the Kings couldn’t get more than one goal past Markstrom.
The penalty kill performance was as good as any. Dawson Mercer is the first player since Alex Semak in 1993 to score two shorthanded goals for the Devils in one game. Markstrom stopped all six shots he faced on the PK. This was imperative after the penalty kill failed them the past few games.
This was a necessary performance from multiple fronts. This helps get the Devils back into the win column after two consecutive embarrassing losses. Two points is two points, and beating the Kings is a good win. It is also the first good win for Jacob Markstrom this season. He’s had two wins, including when he came in for Jake Allen in the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but this win was dominant. The other wins were driven by offense.
If we see this version of Markstrom for the rest of the season, the Devils will be Stanley Cup contenders. That’s how impactful a good Markstrom can be.