The Devils broke their two-game skid against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, February 24th at the Prudential Center. Montreal has lost five straight games, their longest skid of the season. The Devils will be taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, then going on a three-game road trip before hosting the Florida Panthers.
Canadiens lineup against the Devils:
Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky
Roy - Newhook - Armia
Gallagher - Evans - Anderson
Pearson - White - Ylonen
Matheson - Guhle
Xhekaj - Savard
Harris - Kovacevic
Allen
Primeau
Devils lineup against the Canadiens:
Palat - Hischier - Mercer
Haula - Hughes - Bratt
Meier - Tierney - Toffoli
Smith - Lazar - Holtz
Siegenthaler - Marino
Bahl - Nemec
Hughes - Miller
Daws
Poulter
Throughout the first period, it remained completely scoreless.
Opening the scoring with his ninth goal of the season - Brendan Gallagher gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead early into the second period. He scored from the high slot with a snap shot. Timo Meier tied the game 1-1 off a feed by Kevin Bahl, who was at the top of the left face-off circle. Meier tipped in the puck backhanded at the right post not long after Gallagher's goal. Putting Montreal ahead 2-1, Nick Suzuki shot from the right face-off circle with a wrist shot after he skated into a pass from Cole Caufield. Ondrej Palat ended his 7-game goal drought when he tied it at 2-2 from the left circle on a rebound of Simon Nemec's shot from the high slot at 2:10 of the middle frame.
Nico Hischier gave the Devils a 3-2 lead late into the third period at 6:27 on the power play, from the slot. Pushing it at 4-2, Jesper Bratt scored an amazing wrister off a rush after Josh Anderson hit the crossbar on a breakaway attempt. Nine seconds before Bratt's goal, Timo Meier had gotten the primary assist when he blocked a shot from Arder Xhekaj in the Devil's zone. At 1:51, Nick Suzuki scored his second of the game and the 22nd of the season with a wrist shot for a 4-3 final.
Timo Meier on the Devils' 4-3 victory: "We stuck with it. Definitely wasn't our best performance but we found a way to win, which is really important. We have a big game coming up tomorrow and then we go on the road where we're in the race for a playoff spot. So we got to find ways to win games and we did that tonight, but there's a different level we can reach. We got to build on this one," - "It always feels better when you score. Overall, we have to put it on the line, everything today to get those two points and that's what it takes - It's nice every time you can help the team. Whether it is a block shot or goal or a hit. That's what we need, everybody to pick it up."
Notes:
- Kevin Bahl had an assist, Tyler Toffoli recorded two assists, and Timo Meier had a goal and an assist.
Bahl's assist on Meier's goal gave him his ninth point of the season. This set a new career-high for Kevin Bahl.
- Colin Miller returned to the Devils lineup
- Nathan Bastian was unable to play as he was placed on injured reserve on Friday. He had sustained a lower-body injury during a game against the New York Rangers on Thursday.
- Nico Daws made 23 saves for New Jersey in his seventh straight start.
- Jake Allen made 20 saves for Montreal, Nick Suzuki scored two goals.
*All photos used by the New Jersey Devils used with permission*
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