Rookie Dawson Mercer and Damon Severson scored first-period goals, and Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
The Devils secured their second consecutive win to start the season. At the same time, the Kraken fell to 1-3-1 on their five-game road trip just before their eagerly awaited home opener against Vancouver on Saturday night.
“We battled hard tonight, we had a push to get back,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “We just ran out of time, ran out of gas.”
Jimmy Vesey added a goal, and Pavel Zacha sealed the win with an empty-netter with 20 seconds left.
“I liked our ending,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “The way we played in the third, we will win many games. I thought we defended well.”
Riley Sheahan and Jared McCann scored for Seattle, with Joey Daccord making 28 saves in goal.
Mercer opened the scoring at 5:02 of the first period, knocking the puck past Daccord, who started in place of the injured Chris Driedger. Tomas Tatar and Ryan Graves were credited with assists.
“It was great. I saw the saucer pass coming, and it worked out in the end,” Mercer said. “I took it all in.”
Ruff expressed his satisfaction with his rookie’s performance.
“I’m really happy he got his first goal. He took advantage of a great play,” Ruff said. “He’s a very competitive young man. He likes playing the game.”
Severson made it 2-0 at 6:42 of the first, with assists from Graves and Jack Hughes. Severson appreciated the crowd’s energy throughout the game.
“Tonight was great from the puck drop, fantastic for the fans,” he said. “And we got the win.”
Hughes left the game after being struck into the boards by Seattle defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and did not return. Devils forward Mason Geertsen fought Lauzon following the play.
“Emotions were running high,” Severson said. “We were standing up for ourselves.”
Ruff stated that Hughes is day-to-day and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
The Kraken cut the deficit to 2-1 with a goal by Sheahan midway through the second period. The former Penguins forward fired a rebound past Bernier at 10:05, with assists from Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn.
Vesey restored the two-goal lead for the Devils at 14:48 of the second. Andreas Johnsson and Colton White assisted on Vesey’s first goal with New Jersey.
“He had a real good game for us,” Ruff said of Vesey, who earned a roster spot through a training camp tryout. “He put a lot into camp where there’s a lot of stress battling young players.”
Seattle appeared to make it 3-2 with just over three minutes left in the second, but Alex Wennberg’s goal was ruled offside after the Devils challenged it.
The Kraken narrowed the lead to one, scoring on a 5-on-3 power play at 14:48 when McCann converted for his third goal of the season. Mark Giordano and Yanni Gourde assisted.
“We had pushback when we got down,” said Giordano, the Kraken captain. “We just couldn’t find a way to get that extra goal. We have to find ways to generate more.”
The Devils dominated the first period, outshooting the visitors 14-7. New Jersey had a power play in the closing seconds, and captain Nico Hischier tipped a shot past Daccord as time expired.
The game maintained a feisty tone throughout.
Seattle’s Brandon Tanev fought New Jersey’s Michael McLeod 2:27 into the game before the team benches.
Ryan Donato of Seattle also had a scrap with Jonas Siegenthaler of New Jersey late in the middle period.
Former Islander Jordan Eberle had a breakaway 15 minutes into the first but was denied by Bernier.
Giordano said the focus would quickly shift to the home opener in Seattle on Saturday. He also emphasized the importance of upcoming practice time.
“Playing in front of family and friends in our building, it’s going to be a special time,” he said. “Getting home and a week of practice will go a long way for this team.”
SEASON DEBUT
Seattle center Yanni Gourde, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, made his Kraken debut on a line with Jaden Schwartz and former Islander Jordan Eberle.
KRAKEN BREAKDOWN
Seattle’s roster includes eight players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft, six in the second round, two in the third round, three in the fourth round, and one in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds.
SCRATCHES
The Kraken scratched defensemen Will Borgen and Haydn Fleury and forward Alex Barre-Boulet. Forward Calle Jarnkrok, who was in COVID protocol to start the season, has yet to play a game for Seattle, along with Colin Blackwell, who is dealing with a lower-body injury. The Devils scratched forwards Frederik Gauthier and Marian Studenic and defenseman Christian Jaros.
UP NEXT:
- Devils: Host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
- Kraken: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday in their home opener, starting a four-game homestand.
