After winning two straight games and looking to extend the streak to three, Jacob Markstrom and the Devils shut out the Penguins on Saturday, December 21 at the Prudential Center. The Devils were on a three-game winning streak before losing 4-2 in Columbus on Thursday, so it was an incredible comeback for New Jersey. The Penguins managed just 12 shots on goal the entire game, and Markstrom made 12 saves for his second shutout of the season. Tristan Jarry kept the Penguins inside, making a total of 25 saves. Stefan Noesen, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier each scored for the Devils to help get two points. The Penguins return to Pittsburgh on Monday to face the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Devils will host the New York Rangers on Monday.

Pittsburgh Penguins roster:

Rakell – Crosby – Rust

Garland – Malkin – Glass

Beauvillier–O’Connor–Tomasino

Nieto – Lizotte – Acciari

Pickering – Létang

Grzelcyk–Karlsson

Joseph – Shea

Jarry

Nedeljkovic

New Jersey Devils roster:

Palat–Hughes–Bratt

Meier–Hischier–Noesen

Cotter-Haula-Mercer

Tatar–Dowling–Bastian

Dillon-Hamilton

Siegenthaler – Kovacevic

Hughes–Pesce

Markstrom

Allen

Although it was a scoreless first game, Jacob Markstrom managed a amazing save on Sidney Crosby from the right post, diving to his left and making a glove save at 16:18.

Stefan Noesen scored the first goal of the game late in the second period with 2:28 on the clock to score his 15th goal of the season and give the Devils a 1-0 lead. Noesen received a backhand pass in the slot from Nico Hischier, who moved away from Owen Pickering along the right wing half-boards before making the pass after receiving the puck from Timo Meier, who took him out of the neutral zone when he got the puck. along the left boards after bouncing off Rickard Rakell and Noesen.

At 13:20 of the third period, Jacob Markstrom made another incredible save, fending off Philip Tomasino, who was skating in the slot, with a left pad save. Nicolas Hischier pushed it to 2-0 shortly after the save on Tomasino at 12:13 for his 17th goal of the season with a snapshot at the right post while Stefan Noesen and Ryan Shea jostled for position in the slot after Brendan Dillon missed his first shot from an acute angle, shot again as Noesen fell to the ice and was unable to find the back of the net, and Tristan Jarry made a save before Hischier found the back of the net. Timo Meier He sealed it with 2:28 left when he scored an empty-net goal for his 12th goal of the season and third goal in the last five games for the 3-0 final.

Jacob Markstrom on the trajectory of the Devils’ year, and how much he sees the defensive zone developing from a goalie’s perspective: “I think our whole team, the way we’ve been going, we We had a good start in Prague, and then we came home, and it was a little harder and a little adversity, and I thought, you know, it takes time to build what the coaches want and a lot of new guys, but I think we have some good thing going on, and we just continue to build on that,” – “I think it’s huge, I mean, for me, not only the defenders, but everyone makes the game really easy for me. and you kind of expect to know where the puck is and where the shot is coming from. So they help me be able to cut the ice in half and not have to run east to west too much. It’s easy to block shots, remove sticks, and it’s fun to fight with them.

Tristan Jarry on Nico Hischier’s goal and a goalkeeper’s perspective when there were so few shots on goal for almost 50 minutes: “I was just trying to cover it like I said. I was trying and there were skates and bodies in front. I just kept reaching for him, and there was a moment where I thought I had to kind of… not step back, but just stand up and show my body in case he went left or right. right, and just as I arrived, they managed to escape. » – “It’s a close match. It was a close match for almost 45 minutes. I thought we did a really good job on defense, and so did they. They were using the middle of the ice really well, attacking us, and I think that’s where they were able to generate a lot of chances in the middle of the ice and put pucks on net in the third period. I think they were able to get in front of the net and fight hard, and I think we could have done a better job in the third period.

New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins Game Notes:

– Jacob Markstrom made a total of 12 saves for New Jersey for his second shutout of the season, as well as the 22nd shutout of his NHL career.

– Tristan Jarry made a total of 25 saves for Pittsburgh.

– This was the first game PO Joseph was in the lineup after the Penguins acquired him from the St. Louis Blues in a trade.

– Owen Pickering did not return to the game after receiving a hit from Paul Cotter in the second period at 14:11.

– The Devils are 4-1-0 in their last five games, and the Penguins lost in regulation for the first time in five games (3-1-1).

– Nico Hischier had a three-point night, recording a goal and collecting two assists. His assist on Stefan Noesen’s goal was his 30th of the season. … Noesen reached a new career high in goals when he scored his 15th goal of the season. …Hischier had 80 points in a calendar year for the first time in his NHL career (35-45-80). Patrik Elias is the last Devils captain to record 80 points in a calendar year (82 in 2006).

– Timo Meier scored a goal and an assist.

– The Devils allowing 12 shots on goal in this game is their lowest level of the season. In their last six games, they have only allowed shots. That’s only 16.7 blocks per game.