![\"Nemec\u2019s](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/nov-8-2025-newark-new-jersey-usa-new-jersey.jpg\")
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This highly anticipated clash of momentum-driven teams delivered a thrilling 4-3 overtime contest, but the New Jersey Devils ultimately prevailed over the Chicago Blackhawks. The victory was secured spectacularly by Devils defenseman Simon Nemec, who delivered a stunning hat trick\u2014a rare feat for a blueliner\u2014completing the performance with the game-winning goal at 3:28 of the extra frame. While the hard-fought loss put an end to the Blackhawks\u2019 impressive three-game winning streak, Chicago earned a critical point thanks to their star, Connor Bedard, who opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period. The Devils\u2019 offense was fueled by the passing of Jack Hughes, who recorded two key assists on the night, making a decisive difference in the visitors\u2019 high-scoring effort.<\/p>\n
Gritsyuk \u2013 Hughes \u2013 Mercer
Meier \u2013 Hischier \u2013 Bratt
Palat \u2013 Glass \u2013 Noesen
Cotter \u2013 Glendening \u2013 MacEwen<\/p>\n
Siegenthaler \u2013 Nemec
Dillon \u2013 Hughes<\/p>\n
Markstrom
Allen<\/p>\n
Bertuzzi \u2013 Bedard \u2013 Moore
Mikheyev \u2013 Greene \u2013 Teravainen
Slaggert \u2013 Foligno \u2013 Lafferty
Dach \u2013 Donato<\/p>\n
Vlasic \u2013 Crevier
Kaiser \u2013 Levshunov<\/p>\n
Rinzel
Knight<\/p>\n
Late into the first period,\u00a0Connor Bedard\u00a0opened the scoring 1-0, extending his point streak to nine games with 1:25 left to play in the first. He scored on a 5-on-3 power play when Tyler Bertuzzi, who was on the right side of the net, passed to Bedard, who was outside of the left circle. Bedard passed it across to Teuvo Teravainen, who sent a cross-ice pass to Bedard from the right for a gorgeous one-timer from the left face-off circle.<\/p>\n
Simon Nemec\u00a0found the back of the net to tie it 1-1 with 15 seconds to go in the middle frame after Nico Hischier drove through the Blackhawks\u2019 zone. Nemec went after him and took Hischier\u2019s drop pass, moved through the slot, and scored a backhanded goal on Spencer Knight. In the second period, the Devils outshot the Blackhawks 14-3. In the second period, Knight saved on two breakaways, denying both Jack Hughes and Hischier.<\/p>\n
Landon Slaggert\u00a0put Chicago back in front 2-1 when he put in his first goal of the season past Jacob Markstrom at 16:55 in the third period when Nick Foligno, who was up in the right corner, sent the puck down to Louis Crevier, who fired from the right point, and Slaggert tipped it in. With a one-timer from the left circle,\u00a0Dawson Mercer\u00a0scored his ninth goal of the season at 9:47, tying it back up 2-2 when he took a cross-ice pass from Jack Hughes and went on to score short side while falling to one knee.\u00a0Sam Lafferty\u00a0put the Blackhawks ahead 3-2 at 6:26, recording his first goal of the season when he went across the slot, scoring on a backhand after moving into the offensive zone, then dodging Luke Hughes while going across the slot.\u00a0Nemec\u00a0picked up his second of the night, knotting it back up 3-3 with 3:46 left to go of regulation when he took a cross-ice pass from Stefan Noesen, tapping it in at the left post to go into overtime.<\/p>\n
With 1:32 remaining in overtime,\u00a0Nemec\u00a0finished his hat trick to get the 4-3 win for New Jersey after taking a stretch pass from Markstrom and moving into the zone, beating Knight on the glove side.<\/p>\n
Simon Nemec\u00a0on his hat trick, what he liked most about the Devils playing without two forwards\/how they approached it, and Jack\u2019s pass to set up Nemec\u2019s second goal: \u201cUnreal. I mean, like, that was probably my first hat trick in my career\u2026 I was never like a shooter or scoring guy, so yeah, I\u2019m glad for that, but obviously, great team win. We were down like 3 times, I think, and we won, so it\u2019s good.\u201d \u2013 \u201cWe got great players, and it was really hard for the forwards, but they did a great job. It wasn\u2019t an easy game, like you know, they\u2019re a fast team, but I think we did overall a great job. \u2026That was unreal. That\u2019s just Jack. Just give him the puck and he finds you, or me, or someone. When he\u2019s open, you always want to give him a puck.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Jack Hughes picked up a pair of assists. \u2026Both Nick Foligno and Louis Crevier collected two assists.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Connor Bedard\u2019s game-opening goal extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and his point streak to nine; 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists), which ties his career long, set last season.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Jacob Markstrom made a total of 17 saves for New Jersey, and Spencer Knight made a total of 33 saves for Chicago.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The Devils are 12-4-1, having won three of their past four. Each of those games went into overtime.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Dating back to the 2022-23 season, the Devils have won seven straight against the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The Blackhawks are 8-5-4 and have won three straight.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Simon Nemec is the eighth defenseman in League history to cap a regular-season hat trick with an overtime goal. He\u2019s the first since Jakob Chychrun (April 4, 2021). Nemec, who\u2019s 21, is the youngest to do so, besting Chychrun (23 years, four days).<\/p>\n
\u2013 Landon Slaggert was recalled from Rockford of the AHL earlier in the day, taking the spot of Andre Burakovsky, who missed the game due to an undisclosed injury.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Ryan Donato skated in his 500th NHL career game.<\/p>\n
\u2013 New Jersey played most of the game without both Zack MacEwen and Cody Glass. MacEwen took a hit in the first from Connor Murphy and did not return\u2026 he had just missed 13 straight games with an upper-body injury before making a return to the Devils\u2019 lineup on Monday to play against the New York Islanders. Glass went into the boards in the final minute of the first, returned for the second period, but ended up leaving for the locker room again after a shift.<\/p>\n
General consensus during the draft was the Browns reached on Dillon Gabriel because of his lack of plus physical traits. However, there was some hope he could survive in the NFL because of his accuracy, processing, and poise to make plays under pressure. The Browns agreed with this assessment to the point where they said he has “computer-like processing” before the draft and during offseason workouts. While that might have been the case on his college tape and during camp, it hasn’t shown up much during his first five professional starts.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t just the Browns who thought Gabriel’s poise and ability to process a defense could make him good enough for the NFL.\u00a0Dane Brugler of The Athletic\u00a0listed the following bullets in Gabriel’s strengths in his pre-draft big board, giving the rookie a fourth-round grade: “Shows outstanding feel to patiently sort through rush, elude pressure and buy time,” Brugler said. “Keeps eyes downfield and doesn\u2019t panic when locating secondary progressions.”<\/p>\n
After watching the offensive all-22 film, it was clear there were numerous answers for chunk plays that were not hit. Not all were on Gabriel, as sometimes the offensive line allowed pressure before the play had a chance. There were even a few cases where the right read was made, but either the throw was inaccurate or it was dropped – which pretty much sums up the Browns’ offense in 2025.<\/p>\n
Gabriel doesn’t seem like he’s confident in what he’s seeing, and his internal clock is sped up way too much. He had a few out-breaking routes that he appeared to be looking at, but didn’t throw. Other times, he\u00a0bailed to the checkdown\u00a0too quickly in a clean pocket instead of trying to get to the backside digs, or he didn’t get to the backside in-breaker altogether.<\/p>\n
The most notable example was the fourth-and-one near the end of the game when it was a one-possession game. Gabriel had a sail route from\u00a0David Njoku\u00a0and an out from Jerry Jeudy, who was lined up in the backfield. The offensive line slid right, making Gabriel responsible for the blitzing corner.<\/p>\n
He could have thrown to either Jeudy or Njoku with a bit of anticipation at the top of his drop, but didn’t and instead took a sack to turn the ball over on downs. Cedric Tillman was open on a sit route as well, but it’s understandable not to get to that when he had to account for the free rusher on the opposite side.<\/p>\n
Perhaps his physical shortcomings play into his timidness on out breakers, and he seems to have little trust in the protection, but regardless,\u00a0Gabriel\u00a0isn’t appearing to process defenses at the level expected coming into the year. If he wants to stick around this team in any capacity, he’s going to have to do better at seeing things unfold downfield and getting to the open answers when they’re open in structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This highly anticipated clash of momentum-driven teams delivered a thrilling 4-3 overtime contest, but the New Jersey Devils ultimately prevailed over the Chicago Blackhawks. The victory was secured spectacularly by Devils defenseman…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t