On Sunday night, the New Jersey Devils faced the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Both teams were on the second half of a back-to-back following the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but the Devils came out on top in Music City. Nico Daws led the team to a 5-0 victory and stopped all 29 shots faced, earning his first career NHL shutout.
From the opening faceoff, the Devils came out swinging, and the momentum remained with New Jersey in the first 20 minutes. The Devils’ penalty kill went to work, as Johnathan Kovacevic took a hooking penalty just one minute into the first. The Predators failed to capitalize on both early power plays, while Jack Hughes nearly scored on a breakaway attempt.
Ondrej Palat gave the Devils a 1-0 lead, assisted by Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. Daws remained strong in net, stopping all seven shots he faced during the opening period.
Oh, we like it. We like it Palat. pic.twitter.com/Y4fqFWevoh
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 23, 2025
Both teams upped the intensity in the second, with a series of phenomenal saves from Daws and Justus Annunen. However, the Devils blew the game wide open by exploiting the Predators’ defensive weaknesses. Hamilton extended the Devils’ lead with a goal halfway through the second period. But the Devils weren’t done yet. Seamus Casey made it 3-0 with the help of both Hughes brothers, scoring his fourth goal of the season.
The third period was action-packed, and Stefan Noesen buried the puck for a power-play goal after Michael McCarron was called for a cross-check. The Devils continued to play with speed and skill, generating countless high-danger scoring opportunities. Tomas Tatar even got in on the action, making it 5-0 Devils halfway through the third. Fedor Svechkov almost put Nashville on the board, but the goal was overturned for offsides.
The Devils earned their first win after the break, and Daws was the hero of the night. According to MoneyPuck, Daws made 4.19 goals saved above expected (GSAx). As a result, the Devils advance to 32-21-6, while the Predators fall to 20-29-7.
The Predators will face the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and the Devils will hit the road to play the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
