NEWARK, NJ (AP) – Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists once Jacob Markstrom made 12 saves in his second shutout of the season as New Jersey The devil beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 on Saturday night.
Stefan Noesen again Timo Meier scored again for the Devils, who won for the fourth time in five games.
Noesen opened the scoring with his team-leading 15th goal at 17:32 of the second, with assists coming from Hischier and Meier. Hischier made it 2-0 at 7:47 of the third, sliding a loose puck past the Penguins net. Tristan Jarry for his 17th goal of the season. Meier added an empty netter.
Markstrom, 34, who joined New Jersey in a trade from Calgary in June, had the 22nd shutout of his career.
The Metropolitan Division-leading Devils (22-11-3) are 6-3-2 against team foes. New Jersey leads idle Washington by a point. The Capitals have played four fewer games.
The Penguins, shut out for the third time this season, had won eight of their last 11 games.
Jarry made 25 penguins.
What is taken
New Jersey has allowed 20 or fewer shots in six straight games.
The Penguins fell to 6-8-3 on the road. The Devils and Penguins met for the first time in four games this season.
Time is important
Markstrom stopped Evgeny Malkin one timeout seven minutes into the second to keep the game scoreless.
Key statistics
Markstrom improved to 17-6-2 in his first season with New Jersey, while the Devils improved to 10-6-3 at home.
The Devils have a 12-5-0 road record.
Next
The Devils will host the New York Rangers on Monday, before the three-day Christmas break. The Penguins will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
