3 takeaways from Knights’ win: Defense tightens up, blanks Devils

Take out the third period against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 24 and much of Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Golden Knights, overall, have settled in defensively.

The Knights allowed few chances and scored two power-play goals in the third period to defeat the New Jersey Devils 2-0 on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

Captain Mark Stone scored the game’s first goal 1:27 into the final frame, while defenseman Noah Hanifin had a goal and an assist. The Knights (36-18-6) won for the fifth time in six games and shut out a high-powered Devils offense after giving up five goals in each of their previous two games.

“I think we just stuck with it,” Hanifin said. “We stayed patient and fortunately capitalized on a few power plays.”

Goaltender Adin Hill stopped all 25 shots he faced against New Jersey (33-24-6) for his third shutout of the season. The Devils were playing for the second consecutive night after beating the Utah Hockey Club 3-1 on Saturday.

“I thought, defensively, we were really dialed in,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.

The Knights’ performance was similar to their last meeting against New Jersey, when they allowed only 15 shots in a 3-1 win Feb. 6.

This time the Devils were stingy as well in front of goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The 35-year-old played his first game since Jan. 22 due to a knee injury and finished with 22 saves.

Hill was making his first start since Feb. 22. He was supposed to play against the Kings but an illness kept him out of the crease. He and Markstrom traded timely stops and windmill saves Sunday to keep both teams off the board through 40 minutes.

“It’s always fun when both goalies are having a good game,” Hill said. “I think every goalie in the league would prefer lower-scoring games.”

The game’s first penalty — an interference call on Devils center Jack Hughes 1:12 into the third period — helped break the ice. Stone tipped a point shot from Hanifin 15 seconds later to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

Hanifin, replacing injured defenseman Shea Theodore on the team’s first power-play unit, then beat Markstrom from the high slot 9:10 into the third to double the lead.

The Knights held on from there. Stone felt their puck management was much better than it was Thursday, when they won 7-5 against the Blackhawks.

“Those guys (on the Devils), if you feed their offense, they’re pretty deadly,” Stone said. “If you can make them come 200 feet, any good offensive player has a hard night. I thought we did a better job making them earn what they got.”

Here are three takeaways from the win:

1. McNabb and Whitecloud milestones

Defenseman Brayden McNabb appeared in his 800th NHL game Sunday and played 18:32. The 34-year-old has not missed a regular-season game since March 30, 2022.

Defenseman Zach Whitecloud played in his 300th NHL game, all of which have come with the Knights. The 28-year-old, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent, had one shot in 18:24.

2. Hughes injured

Hughes, the Devils’ leading scorer with 70 points in 62 games, suffered an upper-body injury with 1:40 remaining after crashing into the boards.

The 23-year-old, who New Jersey selected first overall in the 2019 draft, skated on his own to the locker room. Coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t have an update on Hughes after the game.

“He’s going to have to be evaluated,” Keefe said. “Obviously, it didn’t look good. We’re going to have to take our time to know the full extent of it.”

3. Knights sign three to entry-level deals

The Knights signed forwards Braedan Bowman and Kai Uchacz to two-year, entry-level contracts Sunday.

Bowman, 21, has 30 points in 52 games with the Silver Knights. He had a decorated junior career in the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 180 points in 184 games.

Uchacz, 21, has 23 points in 51 games with the Silver Knights.

The Knights also signed 2024 sixth-round pick Trent Swick to a three-year, entry-level contract Saturday. The 20-year-old has 57 points in 56 games this season with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.