Bratt's three points help Devils hand Red Wings first regulation loss

DETROIT -- Jesper Bratt had two goals and an assist, helping the New Jersey Devils to a 6-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday.

The Devils were coming off a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals at home Monday.
"We weren't happy at all with the way we played last night, but we really bounced back well tonight," Bratt said. "I felt like we had good intensity and everyone played a good overall game."
Bratt extended his season-opening point streak to seven games (12 points; three goals, nine assists).

Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist, Ryan Graves and Dougie Hamilton each had two assists, and Vitek Vanecek made 20 saves in his first win with the Devils (4-3-0).
"He didn't have to make a lot of saves, but he made some key ones at big times," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "When it was 4-2, he had one where he got a piece of the puck with his foot and got it underneath him. That's a big moment in the game, and we were able to go down and take the pressure off by getting a fifth."
Dominik Kubalik had a goal and an assist, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 35 saves for the Red Wings (3-1-2), who lost for the first time in regulation this season.
"That's twice this season we've had a day off … and then we turn around the next day and don't play very well," said Detroit coach Derek Lalonde, whose team defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 here Sunday. "It's tough to say we weren't ready -- we were fast, we were crisp and we got the 1-0 lead, but then we just got away from our game."
New Jersey scored four straight goals after Dylan Larkin gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 2:56 of the first period by redirecting a Kubalik pass.
"It took us a couple shifts to get going, but after that, I thought every line pushed every other line," Ruff said. "That set the tone, and our pace was incredible for the second game of a back-to-back."

Dawson Mercer tied it 1-1 on a one-timer at 11:25, and Hughes put the Devils ahead 2-1 from the left side of the net at 15:16.
The Red Wings attempted to challenge the goal, claiming Devils forward Erik Haula had interfered with Nedeljkovic, but didn't ask for the review quickly enough.
Bratt made it 3-1 on the power play, knocking in Hughes' pass 43 seconds into the second period. It was the first power-play goal allowed this season by Detroit, which had killed off its first 17 penalties.
"Jack's been playing really well, and we've spent a lot of time working on the power play," Bratt said. "He loves to get me the puck on the back door, so I'm always going to be ready for that pass."
Yegor Sharangovich extended the lead to 4-1 at 4:54 with a shot from the right circle for the fourth short-handed goal of his NHL career (137 games).
"He does a really good job out there, especially with his reads, and that shot was a bullet," Ruff said.
Kubalik cut it to 4-2 at 8:17 of the third period.
Nico Hischier made it 5-2 when he spun and scored in front at 15:38, and Bratt scored from the left face-off circle on the rush at 16:27 for the 6-2 final.
"We had a good start, but I think we let the game turn into a turnover fest, and that's the way they want to play," said Larkin, the Red Wings captain. "They turn over pucks too, but they made us pay on our turnovers. We were just sloppy all night."

New Jersey forward Ondrej Palat did not play because of a lower-body injury after playing 20:42 on Monday. Ruff said there will be an update on him Wednesday.
NOTES: Kubalik has 10 points (four goals, six assists) this season, the most by a player in his first six games with the Red Wings since Paul Coffey had 10 (two goals, eight assists) after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 29, 1993. Kubalik signed a two-year, $5 million contract ($2.5 million average annual value) as a free agent July 13. … Bratt's season-opening point streak is the longest for a Devils player since Tim Higgins had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the first 10 games in 1984-85. … Vanecek was acquired in a trade with the Capitals on July 8.