McLeod Powers Devils to Much Needed Victory Over Montreal
DEVILS 7 – CANADIENS 1
What’s the best way to break a seven game losing streak?
Well, why not score seven goals against the lowly Montreal Canadiens. That is exactly what the New Jersey Devils did Tuesday night across the border, with Michael McLeod leading the way with a pair of goals in a much-needed 7-1 romp.
“To come out with that energy in a back-to-back, you’re always worried because we come off (the All-Star) break,” Head Coach Lindy Ruff said. “That first game you usually have good energy. Sometimes, the second game not as much, but we got what I would call a four-line effort. We used all six defensemen and we had a real strong skating performance out of everybody.”
Took a while but feels good. Big night for the boys! pic.twitter.com/Oz8nw3ofZr
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 9, 2022
McCleod got the party started 4:36 into the first period when he converted on a rebound to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. 11 minutes later, Dawson Mercer made it 2-0 drilling a shot to the back of the net on a feed from Jesper Boqvist.
In the second period, New Jersey exploded offensively with four goals in the frame. Nico Hischier scored his 10th goal of the season on a nifty two-on-one pass by Mercer, allowing Hischier to slap into the back of the net. Later, Jesper Boqvist drilled a shot through goalie Cayden Primeau to make it 4-1. McCleod netted his second goal of the night a minute later to push New Jersey to a 5-1 advantage.
The Devils now stand at 16-26-5 on the season. They face the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night at 8 p.m.
