The New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins both came into this season thinking they should be playoff teams. With all of the talent that both sides have, it is shocking that they are each in this position. On Tuesday night, they matched up in the battle of disappointing teams.
The Devils got out to a 1-0 lead thanks to some puck luck for Dawson Mercer. However, Pittsburgh eventually tied it which put New Jersey on its heels.
From there though, the Devils took over. A power-play goal by Timo Meier was a deflection on a Luke Hughes shot. That put them up for good.
Later in the game, Alexander Holtz made a bad decision defensively but Jake Allen made a great save. Instead of being benched, however, he was put back out there to learn from his mistakes. He rewarded them with a big goal to put the team up by two.
The New Jersey Devils went on to win big over the Pittsburgh Penguins
Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier each added their second of the game before Bryan Rust scored one for the Penguins. That 5-2 score ended up being the final.
The Devils needed a game like this after their disastrous trip through the desert. They are still a long shot to make the playoffs now but this win was a good start back.
New Jersey (70 points) jumped Pittsburgh (69 points) with this win but there is a lot more work to do. They are six points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot. They would also have to jump the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Washington Capitals to get in.
New Jersey's next game will come on Thursday night. It is a much tougher test as they will take on the Winnipeg Jets. They are one of the best teams in the Western Conference so this won't be easy.
If they play as fast as they did against Pittsburgh, they should be able to get it done. This win could go a long way with their confidence as everyone played well.
That includes Jake Allen who made 36 saves on 38 shots. He was the first star of the game for his efforts. Hopefully, that carries into the next game.