The New Jersey Devils continued their strong play at home, securing a 2-1 shootout victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. With the win, the Devils now stand alone atop the Metropolitan Division standings.
Goaltender Jake Allen was the star of the game for New Jersey, stopping an impressive 33 of 34 shots during regulation and overtime. He then denied both Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby in the shootout to seal the win for the Devils. Paul Cotter delivered the decisive shootout goal for New Jersey, while Jesper Bratt also scored in the shootout.
The Penguins dominated significant portions of the game, but Allen's stellar performance kept the Devils in contention. Pittsburgh goalie Arturs Silovs made 23 saves in his ninth start of the season but struggled in the shootout, allowing two goals on three attempts. His shootout save percentage this season is struggling, with seven goals allowed on eight attempts.
Arseny Gritsyuk scored the lone regulation goal for the Devils, capitalizing on a turnover by Kris Letang late in the first period. With just 57.5 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Gritsyuk fired a shot past Silovs for his third goal of his rookie campaign. Ryan Graves, a former Devil, scored the Penguins' only goal. His shot deflected off of Ondrej Palat.
The game featured a physical element as well, with Anthony Mantha of the Penguins engaging in a fight with Brenden Dillon in the first period after Dillon delivered a heavy hit to Thomas Novak. Devils' captain Nico Hischier took a puck to the face in the third period and missed a few shifts, but he was able to return to the game.
Silovs flashed his glove to deny Jack Hughes of a goal in the second period.
The Devils and Penguins faced off earlier in the 2025-26 season on November 8 at the Prudential Center. The Devils and Penguins are scheduled to play multiple times this season, including games in Pittsburgh in January and February, and a final regular-season matchup on April 9 in Newark. In their previous matchups, the Devils shut out the Penguins 3-0 at home. However, the Penguins defeated the Devils 7-3 on March 15.
