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The New Jersey Devils nearly surrendered a comfortable lead against the St. Louis Blues before securing a victory in overtime. After establishing a 4-1 cushion in the third period, New Jersey conceded three consecutive goals, allowing St. Louis to force sudden-death play.
The Devils ultimately prevailed during three-on-three overtime when defenseman Dougie Hamilton created a turnover and sent a pass up the ice to Jesper Bratt, who scored on a breakaway to seal the win.
Third-Period Breakdown and Recovery
New Jersey’s dominant play through the first two periods gave way to defensive lapses and overconfidence in the final regulation frame. Rather than maintaining control, the Devils allowed St. Louis back into the game through defensive missteps.
“We weren’t really emotionally engaged in that third period. We didn’t get pucks out; we were cheating a bit when they stayed in the zone,” Jesper Bratt stated after the game.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe noted that the squad strayed from its usual tactical discipline late in the contest. “We just started making it up and tried to see how cool we could be,” Keefe stated after the win.
Instead of employing the defensive structure and forecheck that generated their initial lead, the team repeatedly chipped the puck out and gave St. Louis additional possession time. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck explained afterwards that the team played a bit too defensively and failed to sustain offensive zone pressure. Forward Anthony Mantha added, “Everyone’s learning in this locker room, and lucky for us, we came out on top.”
Building Resilience Early in the Season
The victory improved New Jersey’s record to 11-5 through their first 15 games of the season. The game highlighted an ability to reset after losing momentum, a contrast to recent struggles elsewhere in the league, such as the Montreal Canadiens blowing a 4-0 lead to the Winnipeg Jets in an overtime loss.
This match was not the first time New Jersey recovered after surrendering a lead. On Nov. 3, the Devils gave up a 3-1 advantage against the Edmonton Oilers before earning a 4-3 victory in a shootout. The team has also rebounded from early-season losses against the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche.
“We dictate a lot of our play; it’s our game, and we really take it to teams. When we bring our game and stick to it, we’re going to get a lot of positive results,” Hellebuyck mentioned after the win over the Blues. Bratt added that the team is continuing to learn and that there are no shortcuts to their winning formula.
Upcoming Three-Game Road Trip
After wrapping up their brief homestand with two consecutive overtime victories, the Devils now head out on a three-game road trip.
The trip begins on Nov. 7 against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. The Islanders defeated New Jersey 6-0 in their previous matchup on Oct. 3 and have outscored the Devils 17-1 over their last three meetings, holding an undefeated streak in the rivalry dating back to Nov. 9, 2024.
Following that contest, New Jersey faces the Toronto Maple Leafs on the second night of a back-to-back set. The road swing concludes on Nov. 10 against the Winnipeg Jets, marking Hellebuyck’s return to face his former team.
“Nothing changes. Just get back to our game and keep playing a good brand of hockey,” defenseman Luke Hughes stated when asked about the team’s approach heading into the road trip.
