DETROIT – Jesper Bratt had two goals and an assist as the New Jersey Devils beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Yegor Sharangovich and Nico Hischier also scored for the Devils, and Ryan Graves had two assists. Vitek Vanecek stopped 20 shots to help the Devils rebound from a 6-3 loss at home to Washington on Monday.
Recommended Videos
“I thought we really bounced back well from last night,” said Bratt, who extended his point streak to seven games, tying a career high. “We weren’t happy at all with the way we played and I felt like we really picked up the intensity as a team. I thought we got a good overall game from everyone out there.”
Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit and Alex Nedeljkovic made 35 saves. The Red Wings (3-1-2) were the last remaining team without a regulation loss.
“We’ve had a good start (to the season) but this is a huge lesson,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We are not good enough to have lapses in our game and get away from what makes us successful. You saw that most of the first period and most of the second.”
Larkin scored his fourth goal less than three minutes in to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.
Mercer tied it with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the opening period with a shot from the right circle after a Detroit turnover in its zone. Hughes' goal off a rebound put the Devils ahead less than four minutes later.
Detroit gave up its first power play goal this season when Bratt scored 43 seconds into the second with a shot that deflected off Nedeljkovic's glove.
Sharangovich's scored a short-handed goal a little more than four minutes later to push New Jersey's lead to 4-1.
“We got in really late last night, and it took a couple shifts for us to get going, but I thought our pace was incredible for the second night of back to back games,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “Those guys have been playing some good hockey, so to answer the bell the way we did tonight was fantastic.”
The Wings had 16 giveaways and some proved costly.
“We had a good start and then we kind of let the game turn into a turnover fest,” Larkin said. “That’s the way they want to play. They’re good off the transition. They turn over the puck, too, but they made us pay on our turnovers. We were just sloppy with the puck all night.”
Kubalik scored his fourth goal at 8:17 of the third to pull the Red Wings within two.
Hischier and Bratt scored 49 seconds apart to push to close the scoring with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.
New Jersey hadn't scored more than four goals.
“Obviously, it’s good for the whole group and our confidence,” Bratt said. “Every game, it seems like we’re getting around 40 shots, and obviously it feels good to see guys getting on the scoresheet. That’s going to be huge for us going forward, but we still have to be really good defensively.”
NOTES: Larkin has 22 points in 18 career games against the Devils. ... Detroit F Adam Erne, who had an assist, played his 300th career game. ... The Devils completed their first back-to-back set this season. They were 3-12-2 last season in the second game of back-to-backs.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host defending champion Colorado on Friday night.
Red Wings: At Boston on Thursday night.