Has goal, assist for New Jersey; Montreal's skid hits longest skid of season

Recap: Montreal Canadiens @ New Jersey Devils 2.24.24

By Mike G. Morreale

@mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Senior Draft Writer

February 25, 2024

NEWARK, N.J. -- Timo Meier had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils held on for a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Prudential Center on Saturday.

"I thought we stuck with it," Meier said. "It definitely wasn't our best performance, but we found a way to win a game, which is really important. We got to find ways to win games, and we did that tonight, but there's different levels we can reach, so we got to build on this one."

Tyler Toffoli had two assists, and Nico Daws made 23 saves in his seventh straight start for the Devils (29-24-4), who had lost two straight.

"We knew we were desperate for a win, but more importantly, it was going to be one game at a time," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought we were a little loose early on. ... We could have had better coverage on their first goal, but I thought we tightened things up."

Nick Suzuki scored two goals, and Jake Allen made 20 saves for the Canadiens (22-28-8), who have lost a season-high five straight games.

"Our mindset is to just keep with it," Allen said. "The majority of the time, what we're doing is working. There are periods, obviously, where teams will get momentum, but that's part of the League. We have to find ways to contain that, slow it down and get back to our game."

Brendan Gallagher gave Montreal a 1-0 lead at 3:06 of the second period, scoring on a slap shot from the high slot.

Meier tied it 1-1 at 5:23 when he tipped in a backhand at the right post off a pass by Kevin Bahl from the top of the left face-off circle.

"[Bahl] made a heck of a play to Timo," Ruff said. "I think we talked about shooting the puck, and if [Bahl] buries his head and shoots, maybe we don't score. But he had his head up, spotted [Meier] off the backside, and made a heck of a play."

MTL@NJD: Meier ties it up with tip-in goal

Suzuki put Montreal back in front 2-1 at 13:07, taking a pass from Cole Caufield and scoring with a wrist shot from the right face-off circle.

"We played a really good game, it's just that we were lacking a little bit of finishing touch at key moments to separate ourselves," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "It's been kind of a theme lately. We're in games that I think are a challenge mentally right now. We're playing well, but not winning is not good enough in this league."

Ondrej Palat tied it 2-2 at 17:50, scoring from the bottom of the left face-off circle off the rebound of Simon Nemec's shot from the slot.

Nico Hischier gave New Jersey a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal from the slot at 13:33 of the third period.

New Jersey went 1-for-2 on the power play but is 3-for-48 in its past 15 games.

"It starts with one, and it was a big play by Nico there," Meier said. "Overall, we had some looks, and we just got to keep working on the power play and stick with it. Stick to our game plan. Everybody's got to work together and then the goals are going to come."

MTL@NJD: Hischier buries a PPG for go-ahead goal

Jesper Bratt pushed the lead to 4-2 on a rush at 16:33. Meier got the primary assist on the play by blocking a shot from the point by Arber Xhekaj in New Jersey's zone nine seconds earlier.

Bratt's goal also came after Josh Anderson hit the crossbar on a breakaway at 15:32.

"Sacrifice is important and that's what it takes," Meier said. "It's a tight (playoff) race and it comes down to who wants it more and who's willing to put more on the line."

Meier had two blocked shots, one takeaway, one hit and six shot attempts in 16:44 of ice time.

"[Meier] does a lot for our team," Hischier said. "It's good to see him score and get the big blocks as well. If you see a guy confronting those pucks, it hurts, but that that's the way everybody's got to think, and he does that every game."

Suzuki scored at 18:09 of the third with Allen pulled for an extra skater for the 4-3 final.

NOTES: Meier had not scored two points in a game since Dec. 23 (19 games). … Montreal has allowed a power-play goal in five straight games. ... Hischier has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in his past 15 games against the Canadiens.