Devils Pick Up 10th Straight Win After 5-1 Win over Montreal | GAME STORY

MONTREAL, Que. - The Devils extended their win streak to ten straight after beating the Montreal Canadiens 5-1. Not only is the win streak the longest current streak in the NHL but also the longest this season.
"The first period was a little tough but then we woke up after that," Vanecek said post-game. "Ten in a row, it's really big and I hope we keep going like that."
"(It's a) team effort, we didn't start great but the second and third period we came out all together as a group and we got those two points which is huge for us," said Jonas Siegenthaler post-game.
After a slower start in the first period, the Devils took charge quickly in the second period with Jack Hughes scoring only 3:57 into the middle frame. Hughes' goal was on the Devils power play, as New Jersey has scored a power play goal in the last five straight. Less than three minutes later Dougie Hamilton scored to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. Montreal's Evgenii Dadonov scored halfway through the period to cut the Devils lead in half, but Hughes would score his second of the game five minutes later to make it a 3-1 Devils lead.
In the third, Tomas Tatar scored a goal but it was deemed off-sides. However, Jesper Bratt would increase the Devils lead in the final ten minutes of regulation to give the Devils a 4-1 lead in the final minutes of game. To sweeten the win, John Marino scored an empty net goal in the final minute to give the Devils a 5-1 victory.
"Similar to the previous games, we really came back in the second and third and show character. We didn't really come up in our standard in the first period and we gave them a lot of offense and we were fueling their offense of their skilled players in the neutral zone," said Bratt. "I think in the second and third we got the puck deeper and went to work and really grinned them down a little bit I think. And we also got a little more on the inside and we created some goals out of that."

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WHAT'S NEXT
The Devils continue to Toronto for the second game of a three-game road trip in Eastern Canada.
Here are some additional observations from tonight...
-Jack Hughes scored two goals in the second period for his first multi-goal game of the season. The forward extended his points streak to three games and started a goal streak as he's scored in the last two games. Tonight's first was a power play goal to open the scoring, and was Hughes' second of the season on the man advantage. His second gave the forward his first two-goal game since Mar. 27, also against the Canadiens.
"He really stayed with it the whole game," Bratt said on Hughes' performance. "He played really good with the puck and he was creating a lot, especially on the power play there, he was willing to shoot, he was a big threat for us all game and it really shows what kind of player he is when he gets the chance to make something happen."
"He found the hole, great shot on the power play and then in the second period to find that spot just above the pad on the far side, I thought that part of his game was excellent," said Ruff on Hughes.
-Dougie Hamilton's assist and goal in the second period extended his points streak to five games, which is his longest since joining NJD. He has three goals and four assists during those five contests.
-In his first game since Nov. 10, Vitek Vanecek picked up right where he left off. The netminder's huge saves, especially in the first period, kept the Canadiens from scoring on several Grade-A opportunities. Vanecek finished the game with 25 saves on 26 shots.
"I felt good, I feel comfortable so that was a good thing," Vanecek said about his return to the lineup after missing the last game. "I'm just trying to be myself every single game … getting experience every game and I hope still I can be better."
"He played a real good game for us. I thought he looked really comfortable, really sharp. He made four or five big saves in that first period that were high quality," said Ruff. "He was the guy that kept us around in the first for sure and he looked comfortable."
"He really stepped up like he's being doing the whole season for us," said Bratt on Vanecek. "I think if it wasn't for him that first period would have looked a lot different."
-The Devils are second in the league for shots on goal with 37 a game, and New Jersey continued to create chances, finishing the game with 39. On the flip side, the Devils are best in the league at limiting their opponents chances. Although the Canadiens had 26, the Devils kept their opponents to only five shots in the middle frame after allowing 15 in the first period.
-Montreal's top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Kirby Dach are a quick line that knows how to score. All three are in the top-three for points. The Devils knew a key to win would be shutting down that line and New Jersey did just that.
"We knew they would just want to attack from our mistakes so we just tried to limit our mistakes and try to have good gaps against them, give them nothing, be close to them, don't even give them a shot and I think we were pretty good tonight," Siegenthaler said.
"I thought the second and third period awareness that they were on the ice, trying to stay above them, not giving them the rush, they're a rush team and good speed going up ice and we just thought if we could get above them, make it really tough on them, we could at least limit their opportunities," said Ruff on how his team shut down Montreal's top line.
When asked about the identity that's formed from this team especially during this win streak, Ruff discussed how the team has come together for every win.
"It's all about the team," Ruff said post-game. "We have different moments, it's any line that's contributing, it's any defense pair, it's our goaltender making big saves. When you're going that well, it's all about team play and everyone participating in teh wins and we've been doing a really good job with that."
The Devils will continue on to Toronto for the second game of this Eastern Canada road trip as they look to make it 11 straight.