The New Jersey Devils are a different beast on defense. They have dominated teams for the better part of two weeks. They haven’t allowed more than 20 shots in the last six games. They took it to another level on Saturday night, holding the Pittsburgh Penguins to just 12 shots on goal. At one point, the Penguins getting just 12 shots wouldn’t be terribly surprising, as they had a terrible start to the season, but they’ve been playing better. That wasn’t the case on this night.
It was an all-out effort on defense, as the Devils didn’t score their first goal until there was a little over two minutes left in the second period. Who knows what an early goal could have done to change the game.
The Penguins never really had much offense. The Devils did block quite a few shots, with Paul Cotter stopping five, Erik Haula and Brenden Dillon stopping four, and Nico Hischier stopping three. It was a great night for the team, as the Penguins finished the game with just 44 chances at full strength, most of which came nowhere near Jacob Markstrom.
Devils defense dominates Penguins, allowing just 12 shots in a shutout.
Markstrom did make a few big saves, but he mostly enjoyed an easy night. It was Markstrom’s second shutout of the season, with his first coming back in October against the Vancouver Canucks.
A special shout out goes to Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic, who have been one of the premier defensive pairs in the NHL this season. They combined to hold Sidney Crosby and his line to just one high-danger chance and forced him in the offensive zone for three high-danger chances against in more than 12 minutes of ice time. (Stats via Natural Stat Trick.)
The Devils offense hasn't been exactly what the Devils have been hoping for, especially the bottom six, but the team's defense is leading to victories.