Devils Smother Rangers in Shutout Victory | GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils will head into their holiday break riding high off a decisive victory against their biggest rival.

On Monday afternoon, the Devils welcomed the Rangers to Prudential Center but made sure they felt quite unwelcome. The Devils shutting out the Rangers 5-0 in their final game before the holiday break.

Jack Hughes had a three point performance with two goals and an assist, Jesper Bratt assisted on both Hughes goals and Timo Meier scored his third goal in as many games and his fourth in the last five games. Meier also had a two-point outing, assisting on Stefan Noesen's third period goal to make it a 4-0 game. Dawson Mercer added the Devils third power-play goal of the afternoon with just over seven minutes to play for the Devils fifth goal of the afternoon.

"They played as close to a perfect game as you can ask for from a coaching perspective," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "I thought we just didn't give them an inch. Whatever the game required, whether it was being physical and standing nose-to-nose, face-to-face, whatever you want to call it. I thought the guys were great in all regards (...) it's just a great, complete effort here today. Couldn't be a better way to go into the break."

The way the Devils have stifled their opponent's opportunities made for yet another low-shot outing for Jacob Markstrom. New Jersey's netminder posts his second shutout in a row, requiring just 12 saves for the victory. Just two nights ago, Markstrom shut out the Penguins also required just 12 saves.

"Shutouts, it's not easy to do, and that's credit to our team and how they've been playing. Yeah, Marky, whenever tested has had the answer. When you play a good team game, everyone benefits. It's a great way for us to go into the break."

“I told them, 12 is good that’s right in my pocket. That fits me perfectly,” Markstrom said facetiously. “You see all the shot blocks… Pally, I don’t know how many shot blocks he had today, probably same amount of saves as I had. It’s a great job and we’ve got to keep building on this.”

Ondrej Palat lead the team with three blocked shots.

New Jersey's special teams were nearly perfect. The penalty kill went four-for-four while the power play was four-for-five.

The Devils head into the holiday break with 49 points in 37 games. As of publication, New Jersey is first in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.

Here are some observations from the game:

• With his two-goal performance this afternoon, Jack Hughes has four goals in two games against the Rangers this season. Both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have given up two a piece to Hughes.

"I've had a couple of good games against these guys," Hughes said. "It's a great rivalry and I love playing in it. Whether it's at MSG, you can always get up a little more for these games. And heading into the Christmas break, we wanted to make a statement and have a great game."

Hughes's two-goal afternoon was his 18th and 19th point in his past 12 games, contributing at a torrid pace for New Jersey. And who else but Jesper Bratt assisting on both goals for his 30th and 31st assist of the season.

• The Devils have had a knack for suffocating their opponents in the first period, giving them very few shots on net. The Rangers managed just five shots on Jacob Markstrom Monday afternoon.

In their most recent games, the Devils have limited their opposition to single-digit shots on net (5,5,7,5,2,1,1,8 and 5) dating back to December 2 when they gave up 12 to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

• The second period was a masterclass for the Devils, holding the Rangers to just five shots while scoring two goals to take the 3-0 lead.

"Guys defended the middle of the rink well," Keefe shared. "Whether it's having the puck, managing it well, or closing space where we don't have it, just really tremendous buy-in and commitment from our guys. Couldn't ask for more of them."

• The opening 5:30 of the game was jammed pack with action, from Jack Hughes' opening goal to a fight between Paul Cotter and Vincent Trocheck and a post-save scrum that resulted in an array of penalties, including Stefan Noesen, called originally for a hook on Mika Zibanejad, and Timo Meier who engaged in a battle with Artemi Panarin. Both Meier and Panarin were called for roughing.

With less than a minute in the period to play, Brenden Dillon and Sam Carrick also dropped the gloves, resulting in five minutes each for fighting.

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• Both Cotter and Trocheck, who were handed five-minute penalties, ended up staying in the box for an additional six minutes while waiting for a stoppage in play. Because their penalties were fighting majors, they had to serve the full five minutes before being let out. And unlike a regular minor penalty, they must wait for a stoppage in play to exit. It wasn't until over six minutes past the five that they could eventually rejoin play.

• The Rangers made Chris Kreider a healthy scratch against the Devils. Kreider is currently the longest-serving Ranger on the New York roster.