Devils Tame Wild Fire | GAME STORY

SAINT PAUL, MN - Step by step.

The New Jersey Devils are back in the win column, snapping a four-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.

Ondrej Palat delivered the go-ahead goal in opportunistic fashion, scoring with just six seconds left in the second period to send the Devils into the final 20 minutes holding a 2-1 lead.

Palat also scored again in the third period.

Jesper Bratt extended the lead to 3-1, and seconds later, 4-1, with a two-goal effort just 11 seconds apart, to extend the lead and secure the Devils' win. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton was credited with the two primary assists on Bratt’s goals.

"It took a lot of effort, determination and will from the guys here today,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “That’s not easy to tap into. But that’s what’s required and I think today serves as a great example of how we kept getting better through the game and you get rewarded with more offense. It was a great night for us.”

Captain Nico Hischier had two primary assists himself, first setting up Dawson Mercer for the opening goal, then finding Palat for the eventual game-winner.

After four straight losses, the Devils close out their four-game road trip on a positive note with the much-needed win, though veteran Palat offered some important words post-game.

“Now, the most important is how we’re going to come out next game, if we’re not going to be ready next game, this doesn’t mean anything.”

Minnesota’s goals came from Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno. Foligno's goal came with just 17 seconds remaining in the game.

Here are some observations from the game:

• It has been a difficult year offensively for Ondrej Palat, but he was rewarded against the Wild with a two-goal effort, including the game-winner. And you cannot underestimate what seeing Palat score two goals did for the group as a whole. Jesper Bratt explains:

"He’s such a respected player in the room. I think as soon as you talk about Pally in the room, for anyone that’s being around him every day, you have so much respect for him. The work that he put in, the type of person and human he is off the ice and how much he really wants to win and be a difference maker, the game today he gets to be playing a little more, playing with Nico, gets to make plays, he’s so hard on the forecheck, winning pucks back. And for him to be rewarded with two goals, it was just great. The whole bench was reacting extremely happy for him. It was great to see, and really brought a lot of energy and happiness to the team.”

• Dawson Mercer moved back to the wing and skated on a line with Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat. That line combined for three goals and two assists. And was a line that Keefe highlighted post-game, particularly being able to move Mercer back to the wing and how it brought out the best in his game.

"I thought getting Merc back on the wing, he looked much, much more comfortable and better here today. He was really good, that line, I really thought set the tone for us.”

“I thought Nico and Mercer, with that line with Pally. Nico and Merc today were so hungry, so determined and competitive. I thought those guys were brilliant today and really set the tone for our team.”

• It took more than 10 minutes for the Devils to register their first official shot, but they made it count. Nico Hischier outmuscled Brock Faber for the puck behind the Minnesota net and set up Dawson Mercer in tight. Mercer buried his chance for his 12th goal of the season and gave the Devils the 1-0 lead on their first shot on Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt.

• According to Mike Kelly of the NHL Network, a puck battle win for Hischier is nothing out of the ordinary, as he is second in the league this season in puck battles, behind Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson-Ek.

• Jack Hughes was back in the middle of the ice, centering the Devils’ top line with Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt on his wings. Hughes had spent the last few games as a winger, as the Devils managed the fact that he is not yet taking faceoffs, and the constant shuffling needed to cover those duties.

But with Hughes back at center, and flanked by Meier and Bratt, their was a familiar pace to how he was playing. It was the version of Jack Hughes the Devils are used to seeing, driving play through the middle and making everything around him feel more dangerous.

• Speaking of Jack, for the first time since the eldest Hughes brother, Quinn, was traded from Vancouver to Minnesota, the three brothers faced one another.

Quinn, in 10 career games before tonight, has eight assists against Jack's New Jersey team. Jack has eight goals and seven assists in his eight games against Quinn, and his youngest brother Luke has one goal and an assist in four games.

Jack added to his totals with one assist on Monday night.

• Dougie Hamilton returned to the Devils' lineup after sitting out against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday afternoon. With Hamilton returning, Simon Nemec was made a scratch. Before the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe explained his decision-making to make the change.

"I had a good conversation, meeting and video review with Nemo this morning and talked through my thought process," Keefe said. "He wants to play every day, as every player does, but we’re finally healthy for the most part here and the back end has got options (…) but I also gave him the reassurance that he’s going to go right back in after the game here tonight. So, take the day, use it productively and be better as we get home and get an off day and back to playing again.

Hamilton returned to the lineup and contributed two primary assists on Bratt's third period goals.

"I thought he was solid, made a couple of very poised and paced plays in that third period that made the difference for us,” Keefe said. “It was great. You see the efforts like that, not easy coming in the way that he had to but that was good to see.”