Devils Postgame: Spectacular Jake Allen, Opportunistic Offense Shutout Oilers 3-0

The New Jersey Devils finished off their western Canadian road trip with a win, taking home four of a possible six points across three games.

Minus the services of their captain, Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers certainly didn’t look like a team without their superstar. Yet, it was the Jake Allen show on the other end of the frozen tilt, as he stonewalled the Oilers out of two points.

Devils Recap

The Devils broke the ice on Monday night, hitting the back of the net and the scoresheet first. Paul Cotter gained the offensive zone and grabbed the attention of the Oilers defenders, then fed a streaking Stefan Noesen, who converted in the slot for an early 1-0 lead.

Thanks to the heroics of Jake Allen, the Devils maintained their one-goal lead until the closing minutes of the middle frame. On the power play, Jesper Bratt scored from the slot, doubling New Jersey’s lead following an Oilers too many men bench minor.

The Devils kept chipping away, and Timo Meier scored at the halfway mark of the third period. Dawson Mercer sent an ally-oop pass from the neutral zone to the offensive zone, connecting with a streaking Timo Meier. In one fell swoop, Meier received the pass, went forehand to backhand, and tripled the Devils’ lead.

Allen made 31 saves on 31 shots to secure the shutout, his third win of the season.

Takeaways

Spectacular Jake Allen

The Devils and Oilers participated in a high-flying affair to open the first period. The shot differential favored the Oilers 13-10,  as did the scoring chance differential 14-6.

However, it was the Devils who came out on top in the opening frame, thanks to Jake Allen.

Allen made all 13 stops in the first period, including eight high-danger saves. In a couple of instances, the Oilers certainly should have found the back of the net, however, a fantastic display of athleticism by Allen kept the Oilers off the scoresheet, including a point-blank blocker save on ex-Devils forward, Adam Henrique.

WHAT. A. STOP. Incredible is right, Dano. pic.twitter.com/bzSiUFuNGc

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 5, 2024

Typically, you see this kind of statistic following a full 60-minute game. However, according to MoneyPuck, Allen made 1.62 saves above expected in just the opening 20 minutes.

Allen clamped it down the rest of the way much like how he started Monday night’s tilt. The Oilers amassed 13 high danger chances while controlling the scoring chance differential 28-10. Yet, Allen was a brick wall, securing his second shutout of the season while making 3.29 saves above expected.

He was simply spectacular.

Took Advantage

The Devils certainly weren’t in control in terms of pace of play on Monday night. The Oilers held onto the puck far more than the Devils did, and that reflected in both the shot and chances total.

However, it was the Devils who made the most of their opportunities, especially in the second period on their first and only power play.

The Oilers were called for a too many men bench minor and found themselves down a man late in the middle frame. After the puck was dropped on the Devils’ power play, it took Bratt just 28 seconds to find the back of the net. That’s largely because after the Devils gained control of the offensive zone, a few quick decisions and crisp passes pulled the Oilers PKers out of shooting lanes, creating the scoring chance for New Jersey.

Despite accruing just three shots in the second period, the Devils took advantage when it mattered most to double their lead.

Opportunistic

There wasn’t a single period in which the Devils won the shot or scoring chance differential.

However, the Devils made the most of their opportunities.

First, on the rush, Cotter‘s ability to lure Edmonton’s attention allowed Noesen to slip in the slot unnoticed. When he received the pass in the slot, he made sure he didn’t miss. Then, while on the power play, it took all of one shot for Bratt to find the back of the net. And lastly, Meier made sure not to waste Mercer’s heads up ally-oop pass, and beat Pickard on a semi-breakaway.

New Jersey goal!

Scored by Timo Meier with 10:35 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Dawson Mercer.

Edmonton: 0
New Jersey: 3#NJDvsEDM #LetsGoOilers #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/2D914sTiox

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 5, 2024

16 shots. That’s how many shots the Devils accrued on Monday, as opposed to Edmonton’s 31. And in fact, they were on the negative side of a 13-6 high danger chance differential. The pucks just fell their way on Monday on the back of the best goaltending performance of the season.

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