WSOU

Recap: Gritty Performance From Mercer Puts Devils Past Jets 4-2

Date: February 22, 2023

By: Joseph Walls

This article was originally written on Feb. 19, 2023

Nico Hischier on the ice for the Devils.

Getty Images

The New Jersey Devils (37-14-5) survived a bit of a scare on Sunday night in Newark, N.J. as they beat the Winnipeg Jets (34-21-1) 4-2.

What at times felt like a high-flying Jets team for much of the first period was snuffed out after the period ended. After that it, felt as though the Devils just could not be stopped. Whether it be on the penalty kill or the offensive end, everything went right.

In the first period, the scoring was started by Jet Cole Perfetti at 14:57 in the period. Though it felt like without a second to breathe Tomas Tatar put the score right back where it started, notching his goal at 15:16 in the first.

It only took Winnipeg two minutes to swoop in and retake the lead from those men in the red sweaters, as Neal Pionk knocked home another Jets’ goal at 17:09 to make the score 2-1.

After a high-powered first period, both teams cooled down in the second with no change in score, and the only major turn being a penalty kill from New Jersey on a Brendan Smith tripping call late in the period.

However, the third period is where Prudential Center turned into a mad house. The Devils third and fourth lines created some offense as Fabian Zetterlund and Miles Wood each netted goals at 5:02 and 6:53 respectively.

What felt like a slow draw to attempt a comeback quickly became a race to the finish for New Jersey as they killed off two more penalties in the period.

The defensive effort from goalie Mackenzie Blackwood did not go unnoticed either, who after giving up two goals in the first stopped all 22 other shots by the Jets on the night.

Speaking of shots, New Jersey dominated the game in that category with 28 shots on the night.

When asked about the one goal deficit, Blackwood said, “We know that we’re a good team when we play the right way…if we get down a goal or two there’s a lot of confidence in here that we’re gonna be able to get that back.”

Coach Lindy Ruff echoed the same sentiment when asked about the team as a whole: “This team is about the group, if we’re gonna have a great team, we’re gonna need everyone.”

This is a team that is primed for a playoff push as it gets later into the season and they proved it tonight taking down a Winnipeg team that was hot coming into this game, winning three of their last four by more than one goal apiece.

The star of tonight’s game however was Dawson Mercer who netted two goals on the night, one coming on the empty net.

When speaking to him, he made the point that “I have been going to the net, that’s how I have been picking up those goals…the ones that don’t come so easy I have been battling in front, I’ll take those any day.”

Lindy Ruff also sang the praises of Mercer and his hustle on the empty netter, showing that the team is fully bought in no matter the lead or the deficit in front of them.

The Devils look to continue the momentum and get another home win on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. For all of WSOU’s coverage, be sure to follow us on both Twitter and Instagram as well as check out WSOU.net for recaps of the Devils all season long.

Joseph Walls can be reached at joseph.walls@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, NHL, New Jersey Devils

Seton Hall

Seton Hall

Merchandise

wsou store