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Recap: Devils Tie Franchise Record Against the Oilers with 13th-Straight Win

Date: November 23, 2022

By: Jonathan Heite

The Captain made his presence on the ice felt on Monday, tallying three assists in the win against Edmonton.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The New Jersey Devils are reaching record-breaking territory.

Another day, another win seems to be the mantra for the leaders of the Metropolitan division, as New Jersey took home their 13th-straight victory in a 5-2 beatdown of the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.

The 16-3-0 Devils now boast 32 points in their first 19 games, and the streak is tied for their longest in franchise history, which last occurred on Feb. 26-March 23 of 2001. That team would make a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

Numerous skaters contributed to the all-around team performance, but another common theme throughout this win streak that began on Oct. 25 has been the play of their new goaltender.

Vitek Vanecek had another excellent performance in net, as the former Washington Capital made 28 saves on 30 shots, which included numerous game-saving stops on the best player in hockey today, Connor McDavid.

The 25-year-old phenom tallied one assist, five shots on goal, and a -1 in 23:46 of ice time, as he couldn’t get his normal offense going because of Vanecek and other Devils defensemen like John Marino.

Edmonton’s other superstar Leon Draisaitl scored one power play goal in the first period, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the Oilers’ other goal of the evening 4:52 into the final frame.

New Jersey’s offense was stellar yet again, with Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Tomas Tatar giving Stuart Skinner (23 saves on 28 shots) trouble all night long.

Hischier led the way with three assists, making the Devils 14-0-0 on the season when the New Jersey captain tallies at least one point in a game.

Head coach Lindy Ruff mentioned postgame that Hischier “keeps on elevating his game, and that’s what you expect out of your best players.”

The former No. 1 overall pick is currently at 22 points in 18 games, which includes nine goals and a +15.

In addition, Bratt scored a power play goal and an assist, Dawson Mercer scored an even-strength goal and an assist, Hughes collected two assists, and Fabian Zetterlund tacked on an assist.

Damon Severson, Yegor Sharangovich, and Tatar also scored the remaining three goals, with Tatar’s showcasing his dynamic hand-eye coordination when sliding the fourth goal of the night on his own rebound past Skinner.

“We’re finding a lot of ways to win from a lot of different personnel,” said Ruff. “A run like this is incredible…the energy in the building is great to see and it really lifts you up.”

The Devils are now a perfect 9-0-0 against Canadian teams this season, and next up is a chance at franchise history Wednesday night, as they will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in a rematch from last Thursday.

New Jersey captured a 3-2 overtime win, with Sharangovich scoring the game-winner 57 seconds into the extra period.

A franchise record will be on the line at the Prudential Center, and WSOU Sports will have coverage on all of our social media platforms at 7 p.m.

Jonathan Heite is an Assistant Sports Director for WSOU Sports and can be reached at jonathan.heite@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, NHL, New Jersey Devils

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