Devils Double Up Ducks for First Win of Season

Devils Double Up Ducks for First Win of Season
New Jersey Devils left wing Ondrej Palat (18) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 18, 2022. Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media
Field Level Media
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Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils earned their first win of the season, beating the Anaheim Ducks 4–2 on Oct. 18 in Newark, N.J.

Ondrej Palat, Dougie Hamilton and Dawson Mercer also scored and Mackenzie Blackwood made 18 saves for the Devils, who had started the season with consecutive 5–2 losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings.

New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes added two assists apiece.

Jakob Silfverberg scored two goals and Anthony Stolarz made 37 saves for the Ducks, who have dropped the first three games of their five-game road trip. They won their home opener before starting the trek.

Hamilton scored off a cross-ice pass from Bratt 33 seconds into the third period to give the Devils a 3–2 lead.

Mercer got to a bouncing puck and shot it past Stolarz for a 4–2 lead at 12:49.

Silfverberg scored two first-period goals to give the Ducks an early lead.

He scored with a wrist shot from just above the left faceoff dot for a 1–0 lead at 7:57. Silfverberg made it 2–0 at 13:08 with a one-timer from in close.

Stolarz made a save on a short-handed breakaway by Nathan Bastian just as time expired to end the first period.

The Devils picked up the pace in the second and scored two goals to tie the game.

Palat, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract with New Jersey in the offseason after spending the past 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scored his first goal with the Devils to make it 2–1 at 4:17 of the second.

Stolarz kicked a shot by Ryan Graves to the side, but Palat was there to score the rebound.

Ducks forward Adam Henrique hit the post on a breakaway at 11:11 of the second period, and New Jersey then tied it 2–2 at 14:48 after Stolarz lost sight of the puck and Hischier tucked it into the net from in close.

Stolarz kept the score tied when he turned away Hughes on a breakaway at 16:11 of the middle period.