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Unsung Performers – Devils Defeat Ducks 6-2

Which players immediately come to mind when you think of the New Jersey Devils in 2024-25? Your answer probably starts with names such as Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer. And while all except Mercer are off to strong starts offensively, would it surprise you to know that a lot of the Devils’ early success can be attributed to the play of names such as Stefan Noesen, Paul Cotter, and Johnathan Kovacevic? Heading into Sunday night’s affair, this unsung trio had accumulated 21 points in the team’s first 11 games. Sure, Kovacevic has been playing Top-Four minutes on defense, but Noesen and Cotter are usually stapled to the third line, averaging under 14 minutes per night; hardly a position where much is expected out of them offensively. 

Sunday night, at Prudential Center, the Devils hosted the Anaheim Ducks in a very important game for New Jersey as they hoped to end a four-game winless streak. Meanwhile, the Ducks, who are in the midst of a rebuild, entered the game looking for some sign of meaningful progress out of their youngsters. After the Devils managed to finish off their 6-2 victory, it’s safe to say the mission was accomplished. 

And if you were wondering how the unsung trio performed, well, they combined for four more points (two goals by Noesen, one by Cotter and an assist by Kovacevic).

Kovacevic was his usual sturdy self throughout the game. He often went into the dirty areas to contest possession of the puck and won his fair share of the battles along the boards. Considering where he was when Training Camp began, it’s clear Sheldon Keefe and the coaching staff have been impressed by him and are putting more and more on his plate. Case in point, during New Jersey’s lone penalty kill in the first period, Kovacevic stayed on the ice for 1:29 out of the two-minute penalty. Whether that was the initial plan or not, we don’t know, but that’s clearly a sign of trust from the coaching staff in the player. 

“(He’s) better than advertised,” Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “We knew we were getting a good depth defenseman. We thought he had his best days ahead of him and he was gonna continue to grow his game. First of all, he’s an incredible guy. Great teammate. Comes to the rink, works hard every day. He really enjoys being a New Jersey Devil. That was very clear. He was happy to be here from the beginning. And then he got a great opportunity. 

“The door was open there for him. He came in and was likely starting Training Camp as the seventh defenseman. (Then) injuries happen, the opportunity’s there and he’s been tremendous from day one in camp, through preseason, all the way through. Anytime maybe he slips a little bit or has a bad shift, he bounces right back and makes a great play or defends and breaks up a play. And he contributes on offense. So yeah, just been a really, really important part of our team here; especially as we were shorthanded on defense and finding our way through that.”

In the first period, he was second on the team in ice time with 7:21 but was unfortunately on the ice when Brock McGinn’s shot from the circle beat Jacob Markstrom low, blocker side to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead 4:47 into the game. The puck may have skimmed off of Kovacevic, but replays were unclear on whether it actually made contact with him or not.  

Cotter didn’t do much in the opening period. He won his only face-off opportunity and was credited with a shot on goal. But it’s the little things he does that don’t show up on the score sheet that make Cotter a big part of this team. There’s not a single part of the ice he’s unwilling to go to. He’s constantly in on the action despite receiving very little ice time and he can usually be counted on to help generate some type of scoring chance. 

That scoring chance came in the second period when he cleaned up a rebound and extended New Jersey’s lead, but more on that down below.

“Cotter’s a great little player,” Noesen explained. “He’s got a lot of skill (and is) very hard on himself, which I appreciate, ’cause I am as well. Now I get to be almost like a big brother to him a little bit and try to calm him down at times. And he does the same thing with me. (So, we’re) feeding off each other’s energy, feeding off everything and he’s so strong, so fast, and getting him just to learn situational awareness is great. Getting him to play below the goal line and use his speed, use his skill, he’s a big boy too. He’s pretty thick.”

Just like Cotter, Noesen didn’t do much in the first period, but he did see almost a minute more of ice time than his linemate and also took a turn on the penalty kill. Also like Cotter, he was an energizer bunny on the ice and can be counted on to up the team’s compete level whenever he’s skating around and not sitting on the bench. 

The second period was when they each broke through more tangibly. Jack Hughes scored 1:16 into the period to tie the game on a delayed penalty and then, 3:26 later, Noesen was in the thick of the action. First, he began the play with a drop pass to Erik Haula and then, when the puck came back around the zone, Kovacevic – stationed just inside the blue line – found Noesen flying down the middle. Number 11 let loose his shot and beat James Reimer to give the Devils a 2-1 lead. 

Then, with 17:23 gone in the second period and the Devils on the power play, Jesper Bratt waited out the Ducks’ penalty killers and found Noesen down low. Noesen sniped the puck past Reimer and increased New Jersey’s lead to 3-1. 

“That one was kind of buttery,” Noesen proclaimed. “It’s something I work on every day. There’s a lot of people here. I spend a lot of time in front of the net trying to tip the puck, working on my game down low and everything else. My game is not pretty like some of these other guys, it’s a little more nitty gritty.”

1:26 after Noesen’s second goal of the game (and of the period), Cotter got on the score sheet by cleaning up the rebound created by Mercer’s off-angle shot and put the puck in the back of the net to make it 4-1 Devils. 

“Always nice just to get a greasy one like that,” Cotter said after the game. “We have a lot of guys who aren’t afraid to go to the net, so, ultimately that’s gonna reward you.”

With a 4-1 lead going into the third period, the Devils looked like they were in good shape to end their four-game winless streak, but first, The Captain, Nico Hischier chimed in with a little insurance. 1:50 into the period, from inside the Devils’ zone, Dougie Hamilton sent a stretch pass out to Hischier, who was steps away from Anaheim’s blue line. Hischier took it in stride, flew down the left wing, fought his way behind defender Tristan Luneau and shot the puck over Reimer’s glove to extend the Devils’ lead to 5-1. The tally also made Hischier The NHL’s leading goal scorer at this junction of the season. In addition, it extended his goal-scoring streak to three games (his fourth goal in that span). 

Anaheim’s Ryan Strome brought the Ducks within 5-2 with a goal 13:08 into the third period, but that was as close as they got. Erik Haula finished off the scoring with a partial breakaway goal with 59 seconds left in the game to give the Devils their 6-2 winning score. As mentioned earlier, the win for New Jersey broke their four-game winless streak and they’ll look to carry that momentum into their Western Canada road trip. On a night when 14 different Devils recorded at least one point – for a total of 17 points overall – the unsung trio of Cotter, Noesen and Kovacevic accounted for just under 24 percent of that production. 

Perhaps instead of calling them “unsung” we should just call them dependable.

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