This season’s second meeting between the Devils and Bruins takes place in Massachusetts for the first time. The Devils prevailed 2-1 at Prudential Center on December 13 in their previous meeting.
After Dawson Mercer’s goal in the third period knotted the score at one, Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Vitek Vanecek, the goalie for the Devils, stopped 23 of 24 shots. The lone Bruins goal was scored by Morgan Geekie.
With three straight victories, the Devils have regained their postseason place. New Jersey moved up to 40 points, one more than Tampa Bay and Washington, in the second and final Wild Card spot after winning 6-2 in Ottawa on Friday.
With 43 points, Jack Hughes leads the Devils. Over his last eight games, he has scored 10 points (5g-5a). Jesper Bratt comes in second with 42 points (14g-28a). He just finished with four points (1g-3a) versus Ottawa. With 15 goals, Tyler Toffoli and Hughes are tied for the team lead.
Luke Hughes, a rookie defenseman, leads the back end with 20 points and six goals. With a goal and two assists versus Ottawa, he recorded a career-high three points. Nico Daws, the goalie, won his first game of the season at Ottawa with 25 saves. With a win over Boston, Vitek Vanecek is 13-6-1 on the season and is expected to start against the Bruins.
Despite the retirement of their longtime captain Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins remain unrivaled. The Atlantic Division’s best record belongs to Boston. However, the club has had trouble lately. In their last seven games, the Bruins have a 2-2-3 record.
Moving forward David Pastrnak is still blazing a trail in the NHL. Along with his 45 points, he has scored 20 goals in 33 games. With those 20 goals, Pastrnak, who scored 61 goals the previous season, is tied for sixth place in the NHL. Brad Marchand has 30 points and 13 goals, ranking second on the team. Charlie Coyle, with 23 points, is ranked third.
As usual, though, the Bruins’ strength lies in their goaltending. With ten victories apiece, Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have divided their responsibilities equally. Swayman outperforms the pair with a 2.17 goals-against average and a.929 save percentage.
The Devils have won 13 comeback games this season, which leads the NHL. The team is an incredible 12-12-1 when the first goal is conceded.
Against the Senators, Jesper Bratt recorded his 200th career assist. Of the players who made their franchise debuts, only Scott Gomez (351 games played), Kirk Muller (355), and Brian Rafalski (421) needed more games than Bratt (423).
Defenseman Brendan Smith scored on a breakaway after coming out of the penalty box to score his first goal as a Devil against Ottawa. This was his first goal since April 24, 2022, against the New York Islanders, and it came in his 87th game with the organization.
In Ottawa, Kevin Bahl participated in his 100th career game.