Rookie Dawson Mercer and Damon Severson scored in the first period, and Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves to lead the New Jersey Devils to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken expansion on Tuesday night.
The Devils secured their second straight win to start the season, while Seattle dropped to 1-3-1 on their five-game road trip just before their highly anticipated 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 in the final 20 seconds.
“I liked our ending,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “The way we played the third, we will win many games. I thought we defended well.”
Riley Sheahan and Jared McCann scored for Seattle, while Joey Daccord made 28 saves in goal.
Mercer opened the scoring at 5:02 of the first period, knocking the puck past Daccord. 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 was pleased 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 extended the Devils’ lead to 2-0 at 6:42 of the first with his first goal of the season, assisted by Graves and Jack Hughes. The crowd’s energy was palpable, and Severson enjoyed the atmosphere.
“Tonight was great from the puck drop, fantastic for the fans,” he said. “And we got the win.”
Shortly after the second goal, Hughes was hit hard into the boards by Seattle defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and did not return to the game. Devils forward Mason Geertsen confronted Lauzon in defense of his teammate.
“Emotions were running high,” Severson said. “We were standing up for ourselves.”
Ruff noted that Hughes was day-to-day and would be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Seattle cut the deficit to 2-1 midway through the second period when Sheahan fired a rebound past Bernier at 10:05, assisted by Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn.
Vesey restored the Devils’ two-goal lead at 14:48 of the second period with assists from Andreas Johnsson and Colton White.
“He had a real good game for us,” Ruff said of Vesey, who earned his spot on the team 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 a 3-2 game with just over three minutes left in the second period, but an apparent goal by Alex Wennberg was overturned due to an offside call after a Devils challenge.
McCann brought Seattle within one goal by scoring on a 5-on-3 power play at 14:48 of the third period, with assists from Mark Giordano and Yanni Gourde.
“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 game featured a spirited first period, with New Jersey dominating the action and outshooting Seattle 14-7. In the closing seconds, Devils captain Nico Hischier nearly scored on a power play, tipping a shot past Daccord as time expired.
The contest was intense throughout, with physical play on both sides. Seattle’s Brandon Tanev fought New Jersey’s Michael McLeod early in the game, and Ryan Donato of Seattle later scrapped with Jonas Siegenthaler of New Jersey.
Former Islander Jordan Eberle had a breakaway opportunity 15 minutes into the first period but was denied by Bernier.
Looking ahead, Giordano expressed excitement for Seattle’s upcoming home opener on Saturday and the valuable practice time in the days ahead.
“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 is going to go a long way for this team.”
SEASON DEBUT
Seattle center Yanni Gourde, who won the Stanley Cup the past two years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, made his Kraken debut on a line with Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle.
KRAKEN BREAKDOWN
Seattle’s roster includes eight first-round NHL Draft picks, six second-rounders, two third-rounders, three fourth-rounders, and one pick each from the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds.
SCRATCHES
The Kraken scratched defensemen Will Borgen, Haydn Fleury, and forward Alex Barre-Boulet. Former Rangers player Colin Blackwell has yet to play a game for the Kraken due to a lower-body injury. Forward Calle Jarnkrok, who was in COVID protocol to start the season, also has yet to play a game for Seattle. 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 and the first game of a four-game homestand.
