Devils Down Blues, 4-1 | GAME STORY

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Devils opened the scoring and never looked back, beating the Blues 4-1. Ondrej Palat, Stefan Noesen, Brenden Dillon, and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey. The Devils have won their last three straight and split the season series against the Blues, with each road team picking up two points.

"Kind of a slow start for both teams," Head Coach Sheldon Keefe shared post-game. "Both teams are pretty structured and did a really good job through the neutral zone. Both teams were breaking out quickly and efficiently so took a little bit to really get going but you win the first period, power play comes through to help us win the second period. Then I love that we started the third, came in on the attack, and had some of our best offensive zone sequences in the third period up two goals.

"Then managed the game too," Keefe continued. "They got one to go in and now the temperature rises a little bit but the guys handled that well too."

Seven minutes left in the first period, Jordan Kyrou’s shot hit the post, after Jacob Markstrom got a piece, as the home team was inches away from scoring first. However, it would be the visitors who opened the scoring.

With just under five to play in the opening period, Ondrej Palat scored to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead. The goal was Palat’s sixth this season and third in the last four games. Luke Hughes saw Palat driving up the left side and sent it to the far corner. Palat quickly shot high to get past Jordan Binnington and give New Jersey the lead.

“He’s one of the hardest working guys on this team,” Noesen shared on Palat. “He works hard and he’s on that line for a primary purpose and he’s done an excellent job with that. He may not show up on everyone’s favorite stat sheet watchers out there, but he does all the little things right and doesn’t really care what anybody else thinks. I’m right there with him.”

"It's a great shot by him," Keefe shared. "Gets us started in the game, gets us to control the game here on the road so that's great. We practice lots of things where we utilize the end wall and try to get in behind them. Not certain that's exactly what Luke (Hughes) was going for in that particular play, you'd have to ask him, but because we had enough speed coming to the neutral zone, we have another layer that Palat goes with it and that is part of our plan - getting pucks behind the opponent's defense. So credit to him for generating the speed and skating right through it, he's first on it and terrific shot."

Following the Devils goal, Jacob Markstrom made some big saves including on a breakaway attempt by Dylan Holloway with 3:19 left in the first period.

A power play goal by Stefan Noesen 13 minutes into the middle frame doubled the Devils lead. Both Nico Hischier and Noesen were net front providing pressure and after Hischier’s attempt was stopped Noesen was able to break through on his second attempt. The power play tally was Noesen’s 14th goal of the season tied his career-high for goals in a single season in his 400th NHL game.

As he did in the first period, the Blues had some great chances late; however, Markstrom continued to make some big saves to keep St. Louis off the board.

New Jersey kept things simple to start the final frame and three and a half minutes into the third, the Devils scored again, this time Brenden Dillon contributing a goal. There was great traffic net front by the Devils which helped the defenseman score his second of the season. In the first six minutes of the third period, the Devils outshot the Blues 9-1 as New Jersey continued to push hard with a three goal lead.

Halfway through the third with their goaltender pulled, Jordan Kyrou scored to get the Blues on the board; however, the Devils held a 3-1 lead. A scrum broke out minutes later to the right of the Devils net. From the Devils, Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic were assessed minor penalties while Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich were sent to the box from the Blues.

In the final five minutes of the third, the Blues pulled their goaltender again looking to cut the Devils lead. However, it was the Devils who scored as Jesper Bratt's empty net goal with 3:16 left in the period sealed the win for New Jersey. Tensions continued to rise in the final 1:15 as another scrum broke out.

"I loved how our guys stuck together there," Keefe shared post-game. "You can see the guys sticking their nose in, being comfortable in that situation and staying together. St. Louis is kind of out of the game at that point and trying to get something going, and I thought our guys didn't give them an inch."

The Devils finished the game on the power play, and although they didn't score again, they secured their 21st win of the season and their third win at Enterprise Center since 2008.

“It looked the same way as we’ve been playing in the last home stretch here,” Markstrom shared about the Devils continuing to build off recent success. “Which is good defensive hockey, good penalty kill, good power play coming up clutch for us again. We don’t get many chances but for us to put up three and one empty netter, is big for us. We capitalized on our chances.”

Here are some observations from the game:

•Over their last four games, a strong defensive effort has allowed New Jersey to limit their opponents to 20 or fewer shots which has helped the Devils allow third fewest shots in the NHL.

“I think we’ve been playing some pretty good team defense,” Noesen shared. "Overall managing transition games from the opposite teams. Whenever we give up chances, we have Markstrom back there. Right now he’s feeling himself so just keep going.”

•After going 0-for-11 over the last five games, the Devils power play broke through, scoring in the second period on their first power play opportunity. Throughout the night, New Jersey went 1-for-3 on the man-advantage. Credit to Nathan Bastian who drew the penalty that led to the power play tally.

“The past couple of games we’ve had some really good looks, just couldn’t find the back of the net,” Noesen shared. “Tonight, I was able to squeak one in there. But sometimes that’s the way it goes. You get a trash one, sometimes they look pretty, tonight was a garbage goal.”

"When you stay with it there, you want one to fall, it's not a sport that gives you much credit for chances, you need goals," Keefe explained. "So it was great how they scored, also just how it didn't take them long. We get our first power play and they make good on it and give us a two goal lead. So that's a great job there."

•In his first game back from a knee injury that sidelined him for seven weeks, Curtis Lazar played 11:41. He recorded one shot and one hit. In addition, Lazar had time on the penalty kill as he was worked back into that part of his game.

With the win, the Devils improve to 21-10-3. New Jersey's two-game road trip continues on in Columbus as the Devils face the Blue Jackets on Thursday night.