Devils hand Utah HC first loss via shutout

Jake Allen stopped all 20 shots he faced for the host New Jersey Devils, who became the first NHL team to reach four wins this season by blanking the Utah Hockey Club 3-0 on Monday afternoon in Newark, N.J.

The shutout is the first for Allen since Feb. 14, 2023, when he recorded 22 saves for the Montreal Canadiens in a 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Seamus Casey and Stefan Noesen scored in the second period and Nico Hischier scored in the third for the Devils, whose 4-1-0 start is their best record through five games since the 2018-19 team also opened 4-1-0.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka recorded 30 saves for Utah, which was trying to become the first first-year franchise to open 4-0-0. The club, which matched the Vegas Golden Knights' 3-0-0 start in 2017-18, relocated from Arizona following last season.

Utah outshot the Devils 6-5 in a scoreless first period before New Jersey took control during a second period in which it held a 16-5 shot advantage.

Casey opened the scoring 1:14 into the middle period, three seconds after a 4-on-4 opportunity ended and a power play began for the Devils. Hischier's shot glanced off Vejmelka and caromed into the slot, where Utah center Logan Cooley briefly controlled the puck before Casey swooped in behind him and poked it loose to Hischier.

Casey briefly slid into the neutral zone before regaining his footing and racing back into the slot, where he took a pass from Hischier and fired a shot over Vejmelka's stick arm.

The rookie defenseman helped the Devils double the lead about seven minutes later. Casey created some space in the high slot by shedding Liam O'Brien before his shot glanced off the stick of Noesen in the crease. Noesen kept the puck on his stick and tucked a backhand past Vejmelka's right skate with 11:47 left.

The Devils added insurance with another power-play goal just beyond the midway point of the third. Jack Hughes, stationed at the goal line, fed Hischier, who flicked a shot past Vejmelka's glove from point-blank range with 9:47 remaining.

--Field Level Media