Five-Goal Third Period Leads Devils Past Blues, 7-4 | GAME STORY

Devils captain Nico Hischier was unhappy with the teams losing ways after they opened their three-game road trip with a loss in Ottawa. He challenged his team to be better, not to be embarrassed, and to dig in.
Dig-in is what the Devils did against the St. Louis Blues after an early 2-0 lead was wiped away by the Blues.
The Devils were chasing the game to start the third period, behind 3-2, before the Devils captain put his money where his mouth is and first assisted on the game-tying goal by Yegor Sharangovich, then putting the team up by one goal, two and a half minutes later. Jimmy Vesey's backhand goal put the Devils ahead of the Blues, as the Devils began to pour on the third-period goals.
Two empty-net goals by Jesper Boqvist and Hischier completed a five-goal third period and the 7-4 victory to post back-to-back victories on the road for the first time this season.

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The Devils are back at Prudential Center for an afternoon game, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
Here are some observations from the game:
- P.K. Subban opened the scoring to the game just 2:12 into the first period, wiring a shot right through the slot and past Jordan Binnington. The goal was Subban's third of the season and his first point since Jan. 22. Subban's game ended in a two-point night with a goal and an assist. - The St. Louis Blues had to earn their first shot of the game and it came just before the 10-minute mark of the first period. By that point, New Jersey already had their opening goal and eight shots on net. - Mike McLeod seems to have found a particular offensive stride of late. His goal against the Blues put the Devils up 2-0 in the first period and marked the second consecutive game McLeod has scored (he had a two-goal performance against Montreal on Tuesday). It was just the second time in his career he's had back-to-back games with a goal, but what is perhaps even more important is the contribution from different lines. McLeod center's the fourth line, tonight with Mason Geertsen and Nathan Bastian, and head coach Lindy Ruff has stressed that the makeup of his roster requires everyone to be able to contribute offensively. - The Blues took their first lead of the night with 4:55 to play in the second period, after a quick review that determined, off a rebound from the post, Justin Faulk's shot fully crossed the line, despite the extra effort by Pavel Zacha to try and sweep it out of the net. The Faulk goal concluded a two-goal second period for St. Louis, one where the Devils struggled to find any sustained pressure on Jordan Binnington. The second period felt like the opposite of the first, with the Blues having the big shot advantage, and offensive pressure, while the first felt like a dominant performance from New Jersey. - Yegor Sharangovich and Nico Hischier connected for a beautiful game-tying goal off the rush midway through the third. Sharangovich's ninth goal of the season snapped a 10-game goalless drought, drawing the Devils even with the Blues at three. The drought for Sharangovich marked the longest of his early career. - Dawson Mercer proves once again he's absolutely fearless. After Jesper Boqvist took a hit from Blues defenseman Niko Mikkola, Mercer went right after the 6'4 Mikkola in Boqvist's defense. The discrepancy between the two players' size and weight is noticeable, but also shows the resolve and passion Mercer has for his team and teammates. Lindy Ruff said the moment put a smile on his face, acknowledging what moments like that can do for a team as a whole, watching the youngest player on the roster not hesitate for a second in getting involved physically. "That's the team camaraderie that you want," Lindy Ruff said after the game. "You know I didn't really like the hit. I think the fact that he was in there, the youngest guy on the team, it's starting to show our growth." - Although, Mercer may not have totally known what he was getting into. Damon Severson shared after the game that Mercer admitted he had no idea how big Mikkola was until he was in the thick of it all. All's well that ends well. - Hischier continues his goal streak with a two-goal night, scoring in three consecutive games. The Devils captain has four goals and an assist in his last three games. His performances truly speak to the disappointment he felt over the winless streak and the pride he takes in leading this team. While he wasn't the only player with multiple points tonight, he certainly puts the pressure on himself to lead the way. - In back-to-back games the Devils post seven-goal performances on their opponent. But not all wins and not all seven-goal outputs are created equal. The first of the two was against a struggling Montreal team, one that had just eight wins on the season, whereas the Blues are bigger, stronger and have 26 wins on the season. "You're not going to put seven on the board every night," Damon Severson said after the game. "But back-to-back is huge for us. It gives us a little confidence for sure moving forward (...) It's one thing to have a good game against a struggling team (Montreal), but you've got to put games together against these good teams if you want to grow." - Jon Gillies has his first NHL point! The Devils netminder was credited with a secondary assist on Jesper Boqvist's empty-net goal.