Devils Stay Hot at Home, Survive Spirited Tilt with Red Wings 4-3

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The Devils improved to 8-0-1 at Prudential Center with a 4-3 win over the Red Wings, marking their first regulation victory since November 1st in Los Angeles. The win also snapped the Devis' season-long three-game pointless streak. In what felt like a battle of the Devils and Red Wings from the 1990s, the game was full of tension. It started early in the game when JT Compher boarded Nico Hischier, sending the captain head-first into the boards for the game's first penalty. Certainly was a questionable hit that the Devils would be sure to take exception to. Following Compher's two minutes in the box, he would answer the bell to Stefan Noesen for a solid tilt.

Noesen would end up getting an instigator penalty, but that's a penalty you're willing to kill off 10/10 times, and they did. The Devils would open the scoring when Timo Meier deflected a Noesen shot from the point. The Red Wings and Alex DeBrincat would respond a few minutes later, even the score at 1.

The Devils had their best stretch of the game in the final two minutes of the period to regain the lead on a pretty passing play off the rush by the top line that ended in a Nico Hischier goal to make it 2-1. In the final minute of the period, A Luke Hughes shot from the point found its way past Talbot off a deflection by Cody Glass in his first game back from injury, Devils up 3-1 after twenty minutes.

Detroit would open up the second period with an early power play and had possessed the puck for the entirety of it before veteran James van Riemsdyk popped in a rebound in front, 3-2. Red Wings tilted the ice, and the Devils and Markstrom just tried to hang on. Talbot would be careless with the puck and get caught behind the net, and Dawson Mercer's incredible forecheck would lead the puck out in front for Connor Brown's sixth goal of the year to make it 4-2.

The third period was all Detroit. The Devils were reeling for a good portion of the period, just trying to survive. Dylan Larkin would end up getting the Red Wings within a goal on a rebound in front and would follow it up by immediately shoving Nico Hischier. This would start the fireworks for the remainder of the game. Ben Chariot gave Simon Nemec an egregious butt-end within the scrum with no call. Jonas Siegenthaler later stood up Lucas Raymond in the neutral zone, a should've been interference call that the refs also let go.

The Red Wings outshot the Devils 13-5 (35-19 the entire game)in the final frame and absolutely destroyed the Devils in the face-off circle, but Jacob Markstrom stood tall in the final few minutes. When the final horn sounded, all hell broke loose. Every player on the ice went at it with each other. We almost got to see a Dylan Larkin and Nico Hischier fight, but the refs were content on getting everyone off the ice. It was really nice to see the Devils stand their ground on home ice and stick together.

Were the Devils the better team on the ice? No way, but that does not matter. In this stretch without Hughes, you take every single point you can and do not feel bad for it. Jacob Markstrom has been slandered for the majority of the season, and it's been fair criticism, but he is the reason the Devils won this game. He bent but did not break, and that's all you can ask for him. Let's hope this gets his confidence up moving forward because the Devils will surely need to rely on him.

The Devils will be back on home ice Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues, who fell to the Rangers 3-2 Monday night.