Devils Down Champs in 1-0 Shutout
DEVILS 1 – AVALANCHE 0
How good are these young New Jersey Devils? The answer in the early going is pretty damn good. The Devils improved to 5-3 on the young season, and pulled into a points tie (10-points) atop the Metro Division with Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2), after an impressive 1-0 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
Goalie Vitek Vanecek recorded 24 saves in the victory as the former Washington Capitales goalie was again impressive. In fact ten of his 24 saves were made in the third period. It was the second straight start where Vanecek was outstanding, having allowed only two goals in a 6-2 win over Detroit earlier in the week. On the year Vanecek lowered his GAA to 2.40.
Vitek shutout 🙌#NJDevils | @BennersAutoBody pic.twitter.com/oDJjJ8KKBW
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 29, 2022
Jack Hughes, the face of this Devils squad, scored his third goal of the season on a power play with 2:59 remaining in regulation, sending the Rock into total euphoria.
Hughes took the feed on assists from Jesper Brett and Dougie Hamilton, before striking the puck past Colorado netminder Pavel Francouz.
“It was a great game by both clubs. It felt like a playoff game,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “This was the right team to play at the right time. We blocked shots. There was a lot of good stuff tonight.”
In other hockey news, the Islanders took care of Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 down in Charlotte. Five different Islanders scored goals on the night, including a pair of goals by Brock Nelson. Nelson’s two goals came in the third period as the Islanders pulled away.