New Jersey DevilsNJD 1–4 Final Pittsburgh PenguinsPIT

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Final 1st2nd3rd T SOG
New Jersey DevilsNJD 001 1 29
Pittsburgh PenguinsPIT 121 4 29

No impact calculated for this game. Impacts are calculated for games in the next 7 days.

Highlights

Scoring

1st Period
6:39 PIT Erik Karlsson (4) Rickard Rakell (10), Sidney Crosby (24) · wrist xG 0.03 0–1 ▶
2nd Period
5:23 PIT Connor Dewar (8) Rickard Rakell (11), Kris Letang (19) · wrist xG 0.16 0–2 ▶
19:07 PIT Evgeni Malkin (9)PP Sidney Crosby (25), Erik Karlsson (29) · slap xG 0.22 0–3 ▶
3rd Period
2:55 NJD Luke Hughes (5)PP Dougie Hamilton (5), Jack Hughes (14) · slap xG 0.05 1–3 ▶
13:26 PIT Blake Lizotte (5) Noel Acciari (6), Connor Dewar (8) · tip-in xG 0.12 1–4 ▶

Score away–home after each goal; season totals in parentheses.

Shot quality

Expected goals (xG) rate every unblocked shot by how often shots like it go in, from where it was taken, the shot type, the strength and what happened just before it. How it works

NJD 33%Deserve to win67% PIT
NJDPIT
2.43Expected goals3.42
1Goals (no shootout)4
1.92Expected goals, 5 on 52.07
57Shot attempts67
41Unblocked attempts47
29Shots on goal29

Game notes

What stood out as the game went on, from the play-by-play and the shifts. Time on the bench is counted in 5-on-5 play outside the penalty box; the note says the player sat, not why. Goals saved are against the shots' expected goals (xG).

2nd Period
13:24 PIT Deserve to win Deserve to win · PIT takes the lead, 62–38%
NJD had led since 1:05 of the 2nd, by as much as 66%
14:50 PIT xG swing xG swing · Out-chanced NJD 1.11–0.02
In xG over 10 minutes, 4:50 to 14:50 of the 2nd; goals 1–0
3rd Period
7:20 PIT xG swing xG swing · Out-chanced NJD 1.35–0.32
In xG over 10 minutes, 17:30 of the 2nd to 7:30 of the 3rd; goals 1–1

Shot map

NJD shoots ←Bigger circle: higher xG; filled: goal→ PIT shoots
Arseny Gritsyuk: wrist, 25 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 0:46) Timo Meier: wrist, 50 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 1:17) Dawson Mercer: tip-in, 7 ft, xG 0.10 (P1 1:21) Ryan Shea: wrist, 64 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 2:17) Connor Dewar: wrist, 59 ft, xG 0.02 (P1 2:47) Noel Acciari: wrist, 11 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 2:49) Rickard Rakell: tip-in, 9 ft, xG 0.09 (P1 3:03) Nico Hischier: backhand, 7 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 3:40) Nico Hischier: deflected, 8 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 3:41) Ben Kindel: deflected, 98 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 4:23) Tommy Novak: wrist, 35 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 4:44) Brett Kulak: tip-in, 15 ft, xG 0.05 (P1 5:40) Simon Nemec: slap, 54 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 7:09) Jesper Bratt: wrist, 11 ft, xG 0.13 (P1 8:44) Rickard Rakell: tip-in, 17 ft, xG 0.08 (P1 9:40) Rickard Rakell: snap, 10 ft, xG 0.16 (P1 9:54) Nico Hischier: wrist, 25 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 10:15) Jonas Siegenthaler: snap, 43 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 11:34) Timo Meier: tip-in, 95 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 12:30) Simon Nemec: wrist, 33 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 12:59) Dawson Mercer: wrist, 32 ft, xG 0.05 (P1 14:52) Connor Brown: backhand, 16 ft, xG 0.10 (P1 15:50) Luke Hughes: wrist, 29 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 18:16) Nico Hischier: wrist, 20 ft, xG 0.12 (P1 19:47) Jack Hughes: wrist, 13 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 0:11) Timo Meier: backhand, 22 ft, xG 0.06 (P2 1:05) Dawson Mercer: wrist, 43 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 1:22) Anthony Mantha: wrist, 47 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 1:52) Brett Kulak: wrist, 37 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 2:47) Jack Hughes: wrist, 21 ft, xG 0.10 (P2 3:23) Jack Hughes: tip-in, 6 ft, xG 0.13 (P2 4:44) Rickard Rakell: slap, 51 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 6:16) Bryan Rust: wrist, 22 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 6:36) Rickard Rakell: wrist, 13 ft, xG 0.13 (P2 6:54) Erik Karlsson: wrist, 51 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 7:04) Bryan Rust: wrist, 14 ft, xG 0.13 (P2 7:06) Sidney Crosby: wrist, 60 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 7:21) Ryan Shea: wrist, 57 ft, xG 0.00 (P2 7:53) Kris Letang: wrist, 75 ft, xG 0.00 (P2 8:14) Noel Acciari: tip-in, 18 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 9:01) Noel Acciari: wrist, 22 ft, xG 0.10 (P2 9:10) Evgeni Malkin: wrist, 39 ft, xG 0.05 (P2 9:49) Ryan Shea: wrist, 45 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 10:02) Ryan Shea: wrist, 32 ft, xG 0.10 (P2 10:27) Justin Brazeau: tip-in, 12 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 10:41) Kris Letang: wrist, 52 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 11:30) Brenden Dillon: slap, 65 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 11:51) Evgeni Malkin: wrist, 25 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 13:24) Evgeni Malkin: slap, 46 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 14:26) Brett Pesce: wrist, 29 ft, xG 0.09 (P2 14:57) Egor Chinakhov: tip-in, 16 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 16:19) Timo Meier: wrist, 21 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 16:59) Rickard Rakell: slap, 15 ft, xG 0.19 (P2 18:03) Justin Brazeau: wrist, 19 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 19:16) Luke Hughes: wrist, 63 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 0:09) Timo Meier: wrist, 20 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 1:53) Simon Nemec: wrist, 53 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 1:57) Dawson Mercer: wrist, 40 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 2:33) Arseny Gritsyuk: tip-in, 18 ft, xG 0.10 (P3 2:44) Ryan Shea: wrist, 46 ft, xG 0.00 (P3 4:04) Timo Meier: wrist, 43 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 4:33) Rickard Rakell: wrist, 7 ft, xG 0.16 (P3 6:47) Rickard Rakell: wrist, 8 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 6:47) Evgeni Malkin: backhand, 10 ft, xG 0.28 (P3 6:49) Erik Karlsson: slap, 50 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 6:53) Evgeni Malkin: bat, 7 ft, xG 0.14 (P3 6:55) Ben Kindel: deflected, 18 ft, xG 0.10 (P3 7:04) Kris Letang: slap, 60 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 7:15) Egor Chinakhov: wrist, 50 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 7:23) Brenden Dillon: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 8:41) Luke Hughes: wrist, 52 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 8:48) Dougie Hamilton: slap, 38 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 10:51) Dougie Hamilton: wrist, 40 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 10:55) Ben Kindel: tip-in, 14 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 11:31) Jack Hughes: tip-in, 13 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 12:30) Jesper Bratt: wrist, 19 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 12:33) Egor Chinakhov: wrist, 20 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 16:52) Cody Glass: tip-in, 9 ft, xG 0.09 (P3 17:08) Ben Kindel: wrist, 30 ft, xG 0.11 (P3 17:28) Jesper Bratt: wrist, 41 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 17:59) Cody Glass: wrist, 6 ft, xG 0.16 (P3 19:53) Cody Glass: backhand, 6 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 19:55) Paul Cotter: wrist, 7 ft, xG 0.26 (P3 19:55) Erik Karlsson: GOAL, wrist, 27 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 6:39) Connor Dewar: GOAL, wrist, 24 ft, xG 0.16 (P2 5:23) Evgeni Malkin: GOAL, slap, 30 ft, xG 0.22 (P2 19:07) Luke Hughes: GOAL, slap, 55 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 2:55) Blake Lizotte: GOAL, tip-in, 10 ft, xG 0.12 (P3 13:26)
About these numbers

xG comes from hockeystats.io's own model, a gradient-boosted tree model trained on every unblocked shot from the 2021-22 to 2025-26 regular seasons using the NHL's public play-by-play. Each shot's value is the share of similar shots that became goals. A team's xG is the sum over its shots; "deserve to win" asks how often the team would outscore its opponent if every shot went in at exactly that rate. Blocked shots count as attempts but have no xG (the NHL records where they were blocked, not where they were taken), so the map leaves them out.

Box score

New Jersey Devils

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
13 Nico Hischier 000 -1 40.24 1120:47
63 Jesper Bratt 000 -1 50.21 0018:16
91 Dawson Mercer 000 -2 50.19 0117:37
86 Jack Hughes 011 -1 40.33 0017:14
28 Timo Meier 000 -1 70.27 1216:25
16 Connor Brown 000 0 10.10 1016:21
81 Arseny Gritsyuk 000 -2 40.13 0014:44
12 Cody Glass 000 0 40.30 2213:32
47 Paul Cotter 000 0 10.26 2213:22
41 Luke Glendening 000 0 00.00 2110:47
81 Ondrej Palat 000 0 10.00 5109:13
11 Stefan Noesen 000 -1 10.00 1108:16
Defense
71 Jonas Siegenthaler 000 0 20.01 0322:56
7 Dougie Hamilton 011 -1 20.02 2020:52
43 Luke Hughes 101 -1 70.13 2220:15
5 Brenden Dillon 000 -1 20.04 6018:26
71 Simon Nemec 000 -1 60.11 0117:49
22 Brett Pesce 000 -2 10.09 0217:20
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Jake Allen 29425 .862 3.42 -0.58

Pittsburgh Penguins

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
17 Bryan Rust 000 +1 40.17 0219:29
67 Rickard Rakell 022 +2 80.91 0019:16
71 Evgeni Malkin 101 0 60.82 0118:19
81 Ben Kindel 000 0 60.28 1117:42
87 Sidney Crosby 022 +1 20.01 2117:32
59 Egor Chinakhov 000 0 40.12 0015:02
52 Noel Acciari 011 +1 50.21 0013:36
16 Justin Brazeau 000 0 20.16 0012:47
46 Blake Lizotte 101 +2 20.12 0212:36
19 Connor Dewar 112 +2 30.18 0011:43
39 Anthony Mantha 000 0 10.03 0111:33
18 Tommy Novak 000 0 30.06 0110:57
Defense
65 Erik Karlsson 112 +1 70.09 0022:56
58 Kris Letang 011 +2 50.05 1122:52
27 Brett Kulak 000 +2 20.07 0220:42
29 Parker Wotherspoon 000 +1 10.00 5420:06
6 Ryan Shea 000 0 60.14 0014:56
6 Jack St. Ivany 000 0 00.00 1014:33
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Stuart Skinner 29128 .966 2.43 +1.43

Skaters by time on ice. Goalie lines count shots with the goalie in net, from the NHL play-by-play.

Player ratings

What each player added to the result, in goals, from most to least. Hover a number for what it's made of.

New Jersey Devils

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
43 Luke Hughes D +1.34 +0.75 +0.09 +0.42 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 20:15
86 Jack Hughes C +1.22 +0.55 +0.21 +0.52 0.00 0.00 -0.06 — 17:14
7 Dougie Hamilton D +0.68 +0.70 +0.01 -0.14 +0.15 0.00 -0.04 — 20:52
13 Nico Hischier C +0.64 0.00 +0.15 +0.35 0.00 +0.10 +0.03 — 20:47
28 Timo Meier R +0.44 0.00 +0.18 +0.32 -0.15 +0.02 +0.08 — 16:25
63 Jesper Bratt L +0.20 0.00 +0.14 +0.10 0.00 0.00 -0.04 — 18:16
5 Brenden Dillon D +0.14 0.00 +0.03 +0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 18:26
81 Arseny Gritsyuk R +0.14 0.00 +0.09 +0.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 14:44
91 Dawson Mercer C +0.02 0.00 +0.12 -0.10 0.00 -0.05 +0.05 — 17:37
12 Cody Glass C -0.12 0.00 +0.19 -0.46 0.00 +0.04 +0.10 — 13:32
71 Jonas Siegenthaler D -0.14 0.00 0.00 -0.30 0.00 0.00 +0.15 — 22:56
17 Simon Nemec D -0.25 0.00 +0.07 -0.39 0.00 0.00 +0.07 — 17:49
47 Paul Cotter L -0.38 0.00 +0.17 -0.64 0.00 -0.01 +0.10 — 13:22
14 Luke Glendening C -0.40 0.00 0.00 -0.41 0.00 -0.06 +0.07 — 10:47
18 Ondrej Palat L -0.43 0.00 0.00 -0.48 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 9:13
11 Stefan Noesen R -0.47 0.00 0.00 -0.54 0.00 +0.02 +0.05 — 8:16
34 Jake Allen G -0.58 0.00 — — 0.00 — — -0.58 59:57
16 Connor Brown R -0.69 0.00 +0.06 -0.55 -0.15 +0.01 -0.06 — 16:21
22 Brett Pesce D -0.80 0.00 +0.06 -0.93 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 17:20

Pittsburgh Penguins

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
67 Rickard Rakell R +2.64 +1.40 +0.59 +0.73 0.00 -0.02 -0.06 — 19:11
19 Connor Dewar C +1.95 +1.30 +0.12 +0.70 -0.15 0.00 -0.02 — 11:43
65 Erik Karlsson D +1.88 +1.30 +0.06 +0.54 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 22:56
46 Blake Lizotte C +1.71 +0.75 +0.08 +0.76 0.00 +0.03 +0.10 — 12:40
87 Sidney Crosby C +1.68 +1.25 +0.01 +0.39 0.00 -0.04 +0.07 — 17:33
74 Stuart Skinner G +1.43 0.00 — — 0.00 — — +1.43 60:00
55 Noel Acciari C +1.35 +0.70 +0.13 +0.42 +0.15 -0.03 -0.02 — 13:36
58 Kris Letang D +1.23 +0.55 +0.03 +0.62 0.00 0.00 +0.03 — 22:54
28 Parker Wotherspoon D +0.76 0.00 0.00 +0.58 0.00 0.00 +0.18 — 20:04
71 Evgeni Malkin C +0.72 +0.75 +0.53 -0.55 0.00 0.00 -0.01 — 18:19
17 Bryan Rust R +0.55 0.00 +0.11 +0.34 0.00 0.00 +0.10 — 19:29
5 Ryan Shea D +0.48 0.00 +0.09 +0.24 +0.15 0.00 0.00 — 14:56
39 Anthony Mantha R +0.11 0.00 +0.02 +0.10 0.00 0.00 -0.01 — 11:33
18 Tommy Novak C +0.09 0.00 +0.04 +0.08 0.00 -0.04 +0.01 — 10:57
16 Justin Brazeau R +0.06 0.00 +0.10 -0.02 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 12:47
77 Brett Kulak D -0.07 0.00 +0.05 -0.21 0.00 0.00 +0.10 — 20:42
59 Egor Chinakhov R -0.37 0.00 +0.08 -0.49 0.00 0.00 +0.04 — 15:02
81 Ben Kindel C -0.41 0.00 +0.18 -0.62 0.00 +0.03 -0.01 — 17:42
3 Jack St. Ivany D -0.54 0.00 0.00 -0.54 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 14:33

An expected-goals take on Dom Luszczyszyn's Game Score: goals and assists, the quality of a player's own shots, shot quality for and against while they were on the ice at 5v5, penalties, faceoffs and puck plays, all in goals; goalies by goals saved above expected. From the NHL play-by-play and shift charts.