Jesper Bratt and Ondrej Palat’s power play aided New Jersey Devils to overpower Minnesota Wild in a 5-2 game win

The New Jersey Devils snapped a four-game skid with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena on Monday night. Ondrej Palat found the net twice, and so did Jesper Bratt. That duo sealed it for New Jersey. After a rough start to the season, including a couple of tight losses, this win gave the Devils a solid lift. Jacob Markstrom played a big part at either end of the ice.

The Minnesota Wild got on the board first, with goals from Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, the latter coming on a late power play. Yet, luck or opportunistic bounces didn’t quite swing the night in the Wild’s favor, leaving them short of their scoring hopes.

New Jersey Devils’ defense proves too strong for Minnesota Wild

Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves, including a handful of solid stops against the Wild in the latter stages of the third period. The Devils' penalty kill was aggressive, crowding the crease and cleaning up rebounds and keeping the puck in the dangerous zone, which helped make life easier on Markstrom in finding the puck.

Philip Wallstedt stopped 24 shots for the Wild, who fell to 26-12-9 on the season and saw their two-game win streak end.

“It took a lot of effort, took a lot of determination, and a lot of will from the guys here today,” New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. “That’s not easy to tap into, but that’s what’s required. And I think today serves as a great example of how we just kind of kept getting better throug the game. And, you know, you get rewarded with some offense out of it at the same time. So, it’s a great night for us.”

New Jersey Devils' best forwards lead team to victorious offense

The Devils relied on their best forwards to penetrate the defenses, as Ondrej Palat’s first goal since December 1 in the second period was an important momentum shift for the Devils, and Dawson Mercer’s first-period goal was the only score for that frame. Bratt dominated the first part of the third, scoring 2 goals in a record span of 21.

“It’s huge,” Palat said. “We had tough times in the last couple of weeks, and sometimes we get out of it easily, sometimes not. And that’s what this league is all about. It’s not an easy league to win. We just need to keep building.”

The Wild have injuries and exhaustion that will have to be shaken off as they embark on a road journey to Winnipeg. However, despite the loss, the team remained on track in creating long-run consistency.

This win helps the Devils ride the momentum, while the Minnesota team would look to improve its play to end the slump.

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