New Jersey 3, Pittsburgh 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 3, 2018
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees:
Tom Chmielewski, Marc Joannette
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Ryan Galloway
Attendance:
16514
By Field Level Media
Travis Zajac had two goals and an assist for his first three-point game of the season, and the New Jersey Devils pulled away for a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Blake Coleman finished with a goal and an assist as the Devils won their third game in a row. New Jersey outshot Pittsburgh 38-16.
Evgeni Malkin scored in a losing effort for the Penguins. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Pittsburgh, which had tallied 21 goals in its previous four games before running into the Devils.
New Jersey goaltender Keith Kinkaid stopped 15 of 16 shots to improve to 10-4-2. He has won five of his past six starts.
Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith made 35 saves while dropping to 3-3-0.
Zajac gave the Devils a 1-0 lead 30 seconds into the second period. He ripped a wrist shot into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season and his first since Jan. 7. That snapped a nine-game goal drought for the 32-year-old.
Less than three minutes later, New Jersey increased its lead to 2-0 on a close-range wrist shot by Coleman. After the Penguins committed a turnover in their defensive zone, Devils forward Stefan Noesen slid a pass near the right side of the crease for Coleman, whose shot ricocheted off DeSmith and into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
Pittsburgh trimmed the deficit to 2-1 on a backhand shot by Malkin with 13:44 to go in the third period. Cole fed Malkin on a breakout for his team-leading 29th goal of the season and his eighth goal in the past four games.
Zajac scored again to make it 3-1 with 10:09 left in the third period. He entered the game with only two multi-point outings and one multi-goal performance this season.
Neither team scored on the power play. New Jersey was held scoreless during three opportunities, while Pittsburgh was 0-for-1 on the man advantage.
New Jersey improved to 15-8-3 on its home ice. Pittsburgh dropped to 10-15-2 on the road.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Pittsburgh |
|
New Jersey |
|
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
Points |
Travis Zajac 3 |
|
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
Goals |
Travis Zajac 2 |
|
Ian Cole 1 |
Assists |
Stefan Noesen 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Casey DeSmith .921 |
Save Percentage |
Keith Kinkaid .938 |
|
Casey DeSmith 35 |
Saves |
Keith Kinkaid 15 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Pittsburgh
|
16 |
1 |
0-1 |
3-3 |
11 |
25 |
| New Jersey
|
38 |
3 |
0-3 |
1-1 |
7 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Devils have a W/L % of .593 after a win and .458 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Vegas. The Penguins have a W/L % of .483 after a win and .600 after a loss.