The New Jersey Devils defeated the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon. They entered the third period down 1-0 but exploded for four goals in the final frame to take the 4-1 victory.
This sealed an impressive homestand for a team average at home this season. Entering this stretch of five straight games at home, the Devils were 6-5-2 at home, just about .500. That isn't good enough for a quality team, no matter how you look at it.
This victory over the Hawks completed a 3-1-1 stretch at the Prudential Center. They now sit at 9-6-3 on home ice, which is fine but still a work in progress, especially considering that they are 11-4-0 on the road.
The New Jersey Devils found a way to earn big points at Prudential Center
Throughout these games, their power play, and five-on-five offense went a bit cold until the final two games. They managed to collect 7 out of 10 points but didn't score as many goals as they were used to scoring.
Despite this small dry spell, they were still outshooting their opponents by wide margins so it wasn't for a lack of chances. Sometimes, the puck doesn't bounce your way or the opposing goaltender plays well. You have to find ways to win those games no matter what.
Playoff games resemble these games more than 6-2 wins anyway, so it is good to see this group come out on top of close (hard) games.
New Jersey has a couple of players that stood up big for them during these games. For one, captain Nico Hischier brings a good amount of offense, but his play against the opposition's top scorers is unbelievable.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jack Hughes is relied on for his offense and he brought it on this homestand. Hughes had six points (2-4-0) over the five games. His running mate, Jesper Bratt, had six points (1-5-0) as well.
The entire group of defensemen was great. Luke Hughes continues to defend very well and now the points are starting to come including his first goal of the season which came during this streak of games at home.
Hughes wasn't the only blue-liner to score his first of the season, either. Brett Pesce also checked that off his list for the first time this season (and in a Devils uniform). With everyone contributing at just the right time, this is one of the best defense cores in the league at this point. If their goaltending can be above average, they will collectively help them win many games down the stretch.
Now, the challenge for the Devils is to keep up the good play on the road while taking care of their business at home. It begins this week with two straight road games. They will make their way to play matches against the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets before coming back home.