On Saturday, April 11, the New Jersey Devils hit the ice in Detroit to face off against the Red Wings.
The New Jersey Devils have been eliminated from playoff contention and have now eliminated the Red Wings from the playoff picture. The Devils won 5-3 with (right wing) Jesper Bratt as the first star of the game. Bratt had two goals and one assist, ultimately leveraging the Devils’ win against the Red Wings.
First Period
The Red Wings were first to score during the first period as Justin Faulk picked up his 15th goal of the season with assists by both Dylan Larkin and Emmit Finnie, putting the Red Wings up 1-0. Not long after, Devils star center Jack Hughes was able to tie the game 1-1, and this is where Bratt picked up his first assist of the evening.
Second Period
With a little over half already into the second period, the Red Wings began to take back the lead. David Perron scored as the Red Wings went up 2-1; his goal was assisted by J.T. Compher. There were roughly five minutes remaining in the second period when the Devils had the advantage to strike; Jesper Bratt picked up his 21st goal of the season, with assists by both defensemen Johnathan Kovacevic (8) and Dennis Cholowski (2), leaving the game tied 2-2.
Third Period
The final period held the most excitement as the game was tied and the Red Wings were fighting to stay afloat in the playoff picture. The Red Wings scored the first goal of each period in this game, which means Finnie scored their third goal of the evening, gaining his 13th goal of the season. Lucas Raymond and Larkin picked up the assists. Raymond has had an impressive year, accumulating 51 assists this season. Red Wings led 3-2.
Bratt and two other Devils pushed the team to the 5-3 win over Detroit. Forward Cody Glass scored his 19th goal of the season, tying the game for the Devils at 3-3. Glass was assisted by both Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler. Siegenthaler scored a goal earlier in the week against the Philadelphia Flyers. Next up was Bratt, scoring his second goal of the season, giving the Devils a 4-3 lead over the Red Wings. Jack Hughes and Connor Brown picked up the assists.
Hughes currently has 48 assists this season after facing an injury prior to the Olympics, he then came back and had a phenomenal rest of the season.
Lastly, with one minute remaining, the Red Wings pulled their goaltender, leaving an empty net possibility for the Devils. Forward Dawson Mercer was able to grab the last goal of the evening. His goal was assisted by Captain Nico Hischier and defenseman Dougie Hamilton. The New Jersey Devils won 5-3 over the Detroit Red Wings.
This has been a challenging season for the Devils, with numerous unfortunate losses contributing to their absence from the 2026 playoffs. Although the Devils played as a winning team today, it does not hold justice for their rocky year. There are only a few regulation games remaining, but the Devils’ contention will not change.
The playoffs will take off shortly. Who will win the cup?
