Big Moments in March | THREE THINGS

March was the final full month of the 2022-23 regular season and it was busy. The Devils played 16 games in 30 days which is quite the grind. To break down the schedule even more, New Jersey had games every other day at minimum and during the second and third weekends of the month, had back-to-backs on Saturday and Sunday. The packed schedule saw the Devils go 8-5-3 but pick up some big wins over other Metropolitan teams.
Let's take a look at three big moments from the month of March in this edition of Three Things presented by GEICO.

1. The Swiss Connection

With the edition of forward Timo Meier in late February, the Devils added yet another Swiss player to their franchise. Before Meier, the Devils had three players: Captain Nico Hischier, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, and goaltender Akira Schmid. With only 12 Swiss players in the NHL this season, the Devils have their own mini Swiss National Team.
On March 9 during their game against the Washington Capitals, the Devils played all four Swiss players. This was the first time in NHL history where four Swiss players on the same team have played in a game. Later that month, the Consulate General of Switzerland and the Swiss Government awarded Hischier, Siegenthaler, Meier, and Schmidt the first-ever Swiss Impact Award. The award celebrates strong representatives of Switzerland in the U.S. and the four Devils players continued to make history.

2. Two Big Points

The Devils and Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up their four-game season series on March 12, and it was a huge matchup between the top-two teams in the Metropolitan Division. Coming into the final game, the Devils were 1-1-1 against the Hurricanes: losing 4-1 on Dec. 20, losing 5-4 in a shootout on Jan. 1, and winning 5-3 on Jan. 10.
Both New Jersey and Carolina were coming into Sunday's game on the second half of a back-to-back and both teams had to travel to New Jersey following their Saturday night game as the Devils were in Montreal for their previous game. The Hurricanes had lost 4-0 at home to the Vegas Golden Knights and were primed for a bounce back game. The Devils had picked up two points against the Canadiens, winning 3-1 before returning home.
A strong first period from the Devils helped the home team make a statement and take control of the game. Jack Hughes scored his 37th of the season in the opening seven minutes after he stole the puck, drove to net, and went five-hole to find the back of the net. Two minutes later, Jesper Bratt made it 2-0 when he went five-hole off of a pass from Hughes to give the home team a two-goal lead. Bratt scored his second of the night, four and a half minutes into the middle frame, when he took advantage of an empty net in front of him. Hughes picked up another assist after stealing the puck from the Hurricanes goaltender.

Two big points and another statement win from the Devils, showing they can beat the best in the league and by multiple goals.

3. Rocking the Rivals

After a long month there was one final test left for the Devils to wrap up March: their Hudson River Rivals, the New York Rangers. In addition to the rivalry game, there was playoff positioning at stake. Going into the game, the Devils had a two point lead on the Rangers and a loss would have them tied for second place in the Metro, with home-ice advantage on the line.
It didn't take long for the Devils to show up. Forward Erik Haula scored five minutes into the first period to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead, and Timo Meier's power-play goal in the final minutes of the opening frame gave the home team a 2-0 lead going into the second. The Rangers scored over halfway through the middle frame to make it 2-1, but the Devils protected their lead and picked up the W.
Vitek Vanecek made 24 saves on 25 shots and picked up his 30th win of the year. Vanecek became only the second goaltender in franchise history to pick up 30 wins in a single season, with Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur as the other. Finish March with a win over your rivals, check. Extend your points lead against them for second in the division, check.