Dougie Hamilton had a goal and two assists and Vitek Vanecek needed to make just 24 saves to record his second shutout of the season, as the New Jersey Devils extended their latest point streak to six games Tuesday with a 3-0 win over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks in Newark, N.J.
Nico Hischier recorded his 11th goal and Jesper Bratt added his 10th, while Jack Hughes posted two assists to extend his season-high point streak to six games for the Devils, who have an NHL-high 43 points and are 5-0-1 since a Nov. 23 loss ended their 13-game winning streak. The veteran defenseman Hamilton had two points in his previous nine games, but broke out for a season-high three Tuesday.
Vanecek, meanwhile, wasn't tested often, but helped kill off three Chicago power plays en route to his eighth career shutout.
Arvid Soderblom stopped 26 shots for Chicago, which prior to Tuesday was last shut out in back-to-back contests Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, 2015. The Blackhawks, who have just seven wins in 25 games this season, are mired in 1-9-1 rut.
New Jersey opened the scoring with 8:33 left in the opening frame. Hughes held the puck at one circle, spun, then slipped it through traffic into the opposite circle, where Hamilton converted his seventh goal of the season.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Blackhawks held a 13-10 shots-on-goal-advantage in the first, but managed just 11 the rest of the way. New Jersey, meanwhile, put the game away with two goals in the second period.
Just 5:30 into the middle frame, Hischier took a point pass from teammate Jonas Siegenthaler and drove it through some traffic past Soderblom, who lost his stick prior to the shot. Then with 5:02 left in the second, Bratt was on the successful one-timed end of another brilliant cross-slot pass from Hughes to increase New Jersey's advantage.
The Blackhawks played without star captain Jonathan Toews (illness).
--Field Level Media
The Trust Project
