Yep, the cardiac New Jersey Devils it is. In what was their fifth overtime affair in their last six games, the Devils somehow found a way to secure another crucial two points. Thanks to a stellar outing from Vitek Vanecek and an all-star-worthy performance from Jack Hughes, the Devils defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime to head into the all-star break with a 32-13-4 record. Here are four takeaways from the win.
Vanecek Proving Why He’s a No. 1 Netminder
Yesterday’s victory didn’t start and end with Vanecek, but it sure did come close. The game got off to a quiet start, specifically through the first ten minutes of the first period. But things opened up quickly after the Stars scored a fluky goal that redirected off Erik Haula and past Vanecek. Dallas gained momentum from that, thanks to the Devils taking three minor penalties, and opened up a 2-0 lead after Roope Hintz’s power-play goal.
Vanecek faced quite a bit of quality from that point on and had to make several acrobatic saves to keep the Devils within striking distance or even with the Stars on the scoreboard. There were a few moments in the second period where you muttered to yourself, “how did Vanecek make that save?!” or “how did the Stars not score there?!”
When the final horn sounded after just 20 seconds into overtime, Vanecek had made 33 saves on 35 shots on goal, the first time he had faced 35 shots on goal or more since Nov. 28. He saved 1.18 goals above expected and moved to 9-0-0 in his last nine starts; he has a .931 save percentage over that stretch. The Devils need to make life easier for him and Mackenzie Blackwood coming out of the break, but Vanecek gave them everything they could’ve asked for this month.
Hughes Showed Why He’s an All-Star
It’s fitting that in their final game before the all-star break, the Devils’ lone all-star had a significant say in the outcome. Hughes helped the team break the ice in the second period on a partial breakaway thanks to a world-class stretch pass from Dougie Hamilton. And, of course, he scored the game-winner after Tyler Seguin accidentally redirected Hughes’ shot, causing it to fly past Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger.
The Devils did not have a great game at five-on-five again (more on that in a bit), but Hughes made his presence known. His creativity was on display, forcing the Stars to defend him aggressively, even to the…
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