NHL

Minnesota Wild at New Jersey Devils

· National Hockey League
Final
3 - 4

Bratt scores twice as Devils edge Wild 4-3

Jacob Middleton scores on the power play for Wild

Erik Haula and Tyler Toffoli also scored to help the Devils get their fifth win in eight games. Luke Hughes had two assists.

Pat Maroon, Ryan Hartman and Jake Middleton scored for Minnesota, which has lost three straight. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 26 saves.

Haula sent a high shot past Fleury to snap a 2-2 tie at 6:54 of the middle period for his fifth goal this season and third in two games. Haula also scored twice in Friday’s 5-4 home win over Buffalo.

Bratt got his sixth of the season on the power play with 3:21 remaining in the second to give New Jersey a two-goal lead. He increased his season total to 14 points and gave the Devils a league-best 14 power-play goals.

“We’ve been talking about really dialing in, trying to get that first goal," Bratt said. ”Our speed was good today and we supported each other well."

Middleton’s first of the season pulled the Wild back within one with 4:43 left in the third.

Minnesota had a power-play with Fleury pulled for the game’s final 1:37 but could not covert with the two-man advantage.

“Six-on-four, you've got to put one in," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "We have to find a way to get there when things aren’t going well. It’s tough to come away with no points. We have to see results.”

Bratt opened the scoring for the Devils at 6:15 of the first.

Maroon scored his first goal with Minnesota to tie the game with 5:07 remaining in the opening period. The 35-year-old forward joined the Wild this season after winning two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay and another with St. Louis in 2019.

Hartman put the Wild ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 2:31 of the second. It was his sixth.

“We have to keep working. We were getting chances," Hartman said. ”We deserved more."

Toffoli then tied it with a power-play goal at 6:10 of the second. The goal was Toffoli’s seventh.

Devils coach Lindy Ruff was impressed with his team's ability to snuff out the Wild's late two-man advantage as they sought a tying goal.

“They have a lot of skill on their power play," Ruff said of the Wild's attack led by Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. "When it came to shot lanes and trying to keep chances to a minimum, I thought we did a good job.”

Devils captain Nico Hischier was scratched after he received a high hit from Buffalo’s Connor Clifton on Friday for which Clifton was suspended two games. Devils coach Lindy Ruff said before the game Hischier is day-to-day.

UP NEXT

The teams meet in Minnesota on Thursday to complete the home-and-home set.

Regular Season Series

NJ leads series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 6:13 Jesper Bratt Goal (5) Snap Shot, assists: John Marino (5), Kevin Bahl (2)
Goal 1st Period 14:53 Pat Maroon Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Jonas Brodin (3), Brock Faber (2)
Goal 2nd Period 2:31 Ryan Hartman Goal (6) Backhand, assists: Calen Addison (4), Joel Eriksson Ek (5)
Goal 2nd Period 6:10 Tyler Toffoli Goal (7) Tip-In, assists: Jesper Bratt (8), Luke Hughes (4)
Goal 2nd Period 6:54 Erik Haula Goal (5) Slap Shot, assists: none
Goal 2nd Period 16:39 Jesper Bratt Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Timo Meier (6), Luke Hughes (5)
Goal 3rd Period 15:17 Jake Middleton Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Pat Maroon (6), Marcus Foligno (3)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/min.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMIN https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/nj.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNJ
16 Blocked Shots 19
14 Hits 10
2 Takeaways 10
34 Shots 30
1 Power Play Goals 2
6 Power Play Opportunities 3
16.7 Power Play Percentage 66.7
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
28 Faceoffs Won 23
54.9 Faceoff Win Percent 45.1
2 Giveaways 3
3 Total Penalties 6
6 Penalty Minutes 12
New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Arseny Gritsyuk, RW Injured Reserve Dec 17
Simon Nemec, D Injured Reserve Dec 16
Evgenii Dadonov, RW Injured Reserve Dec 11
Minnesota Wild Minnesota Wild Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Zach Bogosian, D Injured Reserve Dec 20
Daemon Hunt, D Injured Reserve Dec 18

Game Information

Prudential Center

Location: Newark, NJ
Attendance: 16,514 | Capacity:

2025-26 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Colorado 25 2 57 7
Dallas 24 7 53 5
Minnesota 22 9 49 5
Utah 17 17 37 3
St. Louis 14 15 36 8
Winnipeg 15 17 32 2
Nashville 14 16 32 4
Chicago 13 16 32 6

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 22 10 47 3
Washington 19 12 42 4
NY Islanders 19 13 42 4
Philadelphia 17 10 41 7
New Jersey 20 14 41 1
NY Rangers 18 15 40 4
Pittsburgh 14 11 37 9
Columbus 14 15 34 6
Full Standings