Here are some observations from the game:
• Sometimes you don’t get the bounces. Sometimes you do get the bounces. And the Devils were playing billiards in the game with the number of bounces that went their way. Toffoli’s shot hit a skate, pad, post and in. Hughes’ goal was banked off the goaltender’s helmet. And on Mercer’s goal, the puck found Mercer’s stick after hitting a few sticks and skates from a rebound.
The Devils effort created those bounces and New Jersey finished on those opportunities. And that was the biggest factor in the win.
• The dam finally burst for the Devils’ power play. The club hadn’t scored a power-play goal in the previous eight games, going 0 for 22 in that span. But Toffoli ended all of that with one of the wildest goals you’ll see. His slap shot from above the circles deflected off the skate of Brandon Tanev, then ricocheted off the leg pad of Joey Daccord. The puck then went off the post and with some pool English on it, bent into the air and into the net.
"We talked about doing something like that a couple games ago," Toffoli said of his goal. "The way it worked out in this game it worked out perfect."
The Devils last scored on the man-advantage (twice) Jan. 17 against Montreal.
• Hughes scored a “Jack Hughes goal.” In perhaps his signature move, Hughes carried the puck to the goal line and used a high shot that banked off the mask of Daccord and into the net from the impossible angle. Though, with Hughes, it’s always possible.
"That's turning out to be his patenant move," Toffoli smirked.
It was Hughes’ first goal since returning from an upper-body injury.
• Erik Haula deserves a lot of credit on this play. It began because he stole the puck from Matty Beniers at the blue line inside the Seattle zone. He dished to Hughes. The pass was an easy call, but the steal was quite impressive.
• Mercer picked up his 15th goal of the season to extend New Jersey's lead to 3-0. It started with a great homerun pass by Santeri Hatakka to find Timo Meier with speed. He got around Ryker Evans, who helplessly tries to stick him. Mercer drove to the net. Meier got off a partial shot on goal. After a couple bounces, the puck found Mercer who buried into the vacant cage.
• Goaltender Nico Daws got the start between the pipes. It was his first game action since Jan. 25, over two weeks worth of time. With the game against Seattle being the first of back-to-back, there was a chance Daws would get the call no matter what. But with goalie Vitek Vanecek suffering an illness and lower-body issue, the decision to play Daws was easy.
"I felt pretty good. A little sticky, which is good," Daws said. "It's good to get back to my game and feel good again.
"I wouldn't say my confidence has dipped over my last few starts. But tha'ts the first quality start I've had in a little bit in my eyes. So, it's good."
Daws picked up his first win in over four weeks – Jan. 13 at Florida. Daws’ best save was on a breakaway by Yanni Gourde.
The Devils also, recalled goalie Akira Schmid from Utica of the American Hockey League.
• Simon Nemec may not have got his name on the scoresheet, but he was certainly noticeable in the contest. He carried a puck end-to-end, skirting Kraken blueliner Adam Larsson, to get on goal all alone. His shot was stopped by Daccord.
Nemec thought he scored a power-play goal in the second period to give the Devils a 4-0 lead, but the goal was called off following a successful challenge for goaltender interference by Erik Haula.
