Devils Snap Skid in Seattle | GAME STORY

SEATTLE, WA - The streak is broken. Thanks to Ondrej Palat's game-winning goal and Jacob Markstrom goaltending theatrics.

Palat took the wind out of the Kraken's sails after Seattle had tied the game at two early in the third period.

The Kraken had just scored a power play goal and the tie-game would last just 37 seconds.

Jack Hughes fed Ondrej Palat in the high slot off the rush, his wrist shot sweeping by Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer for a 3-2 lead.

Palat's ninth goal of the season was the game-winner that ended the Devils four-game winless streak and sent the club back into the win column.

“I hate the penalty we take at the end of the period and then we’re not able to get the kill, so that’s disappointing," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "But that’s what you want, is guys to get right back to it so yeah, big play by Jack, great finish by Pally.”

A sense of relief washed over the Devils locker room post-game, knowing that they had dug themselves out of their slump and can turn the page.

“We know how good of a team we are, those expectations don’t change and those couple games in a row, losing streak, maybe to (another) team sucks but to us, crazy frustrating just because we know how our potential is as a team. When we know we have a team like that, it’s hard seeing those outcomes.”

"It’s not a fun feeling when you lose a few in a row and I don’t want to revisit that feeling and this is the last game of the road trip and we needed a win, we needed to get back to winning hockey games and stringing wins together," Jacob Markstrom said. "You’ve got to start somewhere and today was a big effort for our group."

Dawson Mercer and Paul Cotter scored in the first and second periods, respectively, and Jacob Markstrom made some outstanding saves in the 3-2 win.

Markstrom's biggest save of the game came just moments after Palat's go-ahead goal, stopping Eeli Tolvanen on his doorstep. Markstrom was spectacular all evening, making 21 saves on 23 shots.

“Last game of the road trip, we needed that win,” Palat said. “I think we played a good enough game but there are still room for improvement. They had too many chances, I think, that if it wasn’t for Marky, it would be a different score.”

Adam Larsson and Shane Wright both scored for the Kraken.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Dawson Mercer's goal in the first period was the Devils first 1st period goal scored in the last five games. The Devils looked much more like their pre-holiday break selves leading up to the opening goal. New Jersey had been controlling the majority of play with extensive offensive zone presence and limiting the Kraken to just one shot.

• Mercer was the Devils' sixth player this season to hit double-digits in goals with his 10th and Paul Cotter was the team's seventh 10-plus goal scorer with his goal in Seattle. The joins Hischier (19), Stefan Noesen (16), Jack Hughes (15), Timo Meier (14) and Jesper Bratt (14) with 10 or more goals this season. The Devils are one of three teams in the NHL who have seven or more 10-plus goal scorers, tied with Colorado and Washington.

• After Mercer's goal at 7:56 of the first period the Devils defensive structure appeared to slip. The Kraken not only were able to tie the game at one on a goal by Adam Larsson but Jacob Markstrom was forced to make some brilliant, show stopping saves on odd-man-rushes against and a breakaway by Andre Burakovsky. Without the work of Markstrom in the second-half of the first period, the Devils may not have escaped the first 20 tied at one.

• Paul Cotter's goal in Seattle was his third in the last five games as he begins to find his offensive touch again. He's up to 10 goals this season, three shy of his career-high of 13 he set in 2022-23 with the Golden Knights. Cotter broke a long goal-scoring drought with a goal on December 28 in Carolina, where he said post-game that he hoped it would start to open the floodgates more offensively for him, which appears to have been prophetic.

"More important to me is just his overall game to me has really improved," head coach Sheldon Keefe said of his player. "He’s on the puck a lot more, forechecking better, defensive mistakes have been minimized, so it’s just funny how it goes. You tidy up your overall game and things start to go your way and I would say, the message for our team is very similar. You’ve just got to stay with it on a team perspective and we’ll get more of these types of wins, but they’ll be a lot cleaner.”

• Jack Hughes' assist on Palat's goal was his 200th career assist in his 349th NHL game.