*Photo from the Herald Journal*
If this game was any indication, this is one dangerous team. Jonas Siegenthaler had a goal and two assists, Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils rolled past the Philadelphia Flyers with a 7-0 shutout victory on Saturday night in Newark.
Starting in goal for the Devils was Akira Schmid, recalled from the AHL before the game. Schmid turned aside all 23 shots on goal the Flyers had, recording his first career NHL shutout. With the win, Schmid's record improved to 6-4-0 in 10 games this season.
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said that "I thought, as a whole, it was one of our better defensive games. We didn't give up a lot and Akira made the saves he needed to make. I thought his puck play was real good for us and he helped us on a bunch of breakouts. He's been a big part of where we're at with the injury to Mackenzie Blackwood. We needed him to step in and play well."
After a scoreless first period, Siegenthaler got the scoring started, making it 1-0 Devils on his 3rd goal of the season, assisted by Miles Wood. Jack Hughes scored his 36th goal of the season at the 8:35 mark of the second period to double the lead to 2-0. Dawson Mercer then ran his goal streak to 6 games with his 19th goal of the season, with Hischier assisting to make it 3-0 Devils after two.
Hischier lit the lamp to open the 3rd period for the Devils, scoring 4:05 into the frame to make it a 4-0 game. Dougie Hamilton followed suit 1:11 later, scoring his 17th goal of the season to increase the lead to 5-0. Hughes and Yegor Sharangovich got assists on Jesper Bratt's goal to make it 6-0. Nathan Bastian then put the finishing touches on the shutout with his 4th goal of the season.
Ruff said of Mercer's play that "It's all about momentum and once you get on a roll, a lot of good things happen. When you look at Mercer, it's almost anything he touches. I thought he had the best opportunity in the first period and shot it over the net on a real good look. Then he converts that great play from Nico coming out of the corner."
Siegenthaler, Hischier, and Hughes each had a goal and an assist for the Devils, who picked up their second straight win and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, improving their record to 39-15-5, second place in the Metropolitan Division. In total, 14 Devils skaters recorded a point.
Getting the start in goal for the Flyers was Samuel Ersson, who saw his unbeaten streak in the NHL come to an end. Ersson stopped 29 of the 36 shots the Devils had, good for a .806 save percentage. His record drops to 6-1-0 as a result.
Flyers head coach John Tortorella said of the shutout that "We have to button down even more. I'm not sure if we win the game if we button it down. I think they're that good, Jersey. I'm not worried about the room. We just need to sustain the mental fight about how we've got to play."
Both squads resume play on Wednesday as the calendar flips to March. The Flyers welcome the New York Rangers to town, with Carter Hart projected to start. Vitek Vanecek is the probable starter for the Devils against the Colorado Avalanche on the road.
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