Jesper Bratt collected two goals and an assist and Jack Hughes also recorded a three-point performance, fueling the New Jersey Devils to a 5-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in Newark, N.J.
Hughes joined Ondrej Palat and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in scoring one goal and Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves to propel the Devils to their fourth win in their last five games.
Montreal’s Alex Newhook scored twice to double his season goal total and Brendan Gallagher also tallied.
Sam Montembeault turned aside 22 shots for the Canadiens, who have lost five in a row and nine of their last 11 games (2-7-2). Montreal has surrendered at least four goals in eight of 14 games this season.
Gallagher cleaned up a loose puck on the doorstep to trim New Jersey’s lead to 3-2 with 59 seconds remaining in the second period.
Hughes, however, chased down a nifty lead pass from Bratt and converted a breakaway at 6:23 of the third period to regain the Devils’ two-goal advantage.
Just 1:50 later, Newhook used his superior speed and chipped the puck past Markstrom for his second goal of the game.
Bratt, however, added his second tally of the contest by scoring into the empty net with 26 seconds left.
Hughes set up a pair of goals to give New Jersey a 2-0 lead in the first period.
He skated around both Newhook and defenseman Kaiden Guhle before backhanding a feed to Bratt for an easy conversion at the far post to open the scoring 93 seconds into the game. Hughes’ pass from behind the net was one-timed home by Palat at 12:38 of the first period.
Newhook’s shot from the left circle banked off Markstrom and into the net to halve the deficit exactly five minutes into the second period.
Siegenthaler regained the two-goal advantage 5:20 later after settling a centering feed from Erik Haula before beating Montembeault between the pads. Siegenthaler’s goal was his first since Dec. 21.
–Field Level Media