Jake Allen, Nico Daws showcase midseason form despite New Jersey Devils loss

The almost saviors of the night. En route to the New Jersey Devils second loss (3-0) of the season, goaltenders Jake Allen and Nico Daws almost stole the show against the Montreal Canadiens.

Allen was in top form from the puck drop in the Devils’ second preseason game. The veteran goaltender made nine stops in the first period alone. To add more fuel to the fire, a handful of those shots were really high-danger situations that could have and arguably should have gone in the back of the net.

Daws was re-signed by the Devils in July to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $812,500, as announced via press release in July. As for Allen, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils from the Montreal Canadiens in March for a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Allen made an especially strong save on Canadiens prospect Owen Back. The forward received a pass in the Devils’ zone while in the slot and fired the puck at Allen, who made an amazing stop with his pad.

Allen was sharp, aggressive, and showed athleticism while helping keep it a one-goal game.

Coming in for Allen in relief midway through the second, Daws got off to a much better start than he did in the first preseason game. As it happens, Daws looked equally as strong and aggressive as Allen did while fending off Montreal's offense. Undoubtedly learning from the times they've shared the ice and the net together in training, Daws showed similar poise as — making aggressive saves toward the top of his crease.

There really wasn't anything to not like about Allen and Daws' performances on the line.

With their roster, the Devils will have quality goaltending on any given night. That’s a major upgrade from what they dealt with in the 2023-24 season.

Of course, a penalty kill can’t pitch a shutout without some quality goaltending behind it, and that’s exactly what the Devils got this evening. As far stats are concerned, Allen made 12 saves on 13 shots, including a couple grade-A chances in the first period especially. Statistically, Daws also gave New Jersey a terrific effort with 14 saves on 15 shots.

But alas, the Devils offense could not match the performance of the pair.

This was an overall sloppy, frustrating game to watch between the lack of offense and New Jersey taking about nine hours worth of penalties. The Devils are now 0-2 in the preseason, but there's no where else to go but up.