Hellebuyck wins again as Devils top Golden Knights 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The New Jersey Devils continued their strong start following Friday’s trade for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena. Hellebuyck made 19 saves to earn his second consecutive win after following up his Devils debut with a 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

The Devils entered the matchup with a fresh roster addition in net, as New Jersey acquired Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets on Friday in a trade that sent forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, the rights to forward Alexander Command, a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to Winnipeg. Hellebuyck’s two straight wins provided an immediate on-ice impact in a schedule stretch that also included New Jersey’s 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

Vegas countered with Adin Hill between the pipes, who stopped 27 shots in the loss. The Golden Knights got goals from Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev, and Mitch Marner recorded two assists. Despite getting on the scoreboard early, Vegas fell behind after the Devils established a lead in the first period and extended it through the middle frame.

Luke Hughes opened the scoring at 5:38 of the first period. Anthony Mantha won a race for the loose puck behind the net and found Hughes skating to the left circle, where Hughes finished with a one-timer to give New Jersey a 1-0 advantage.

The Golden Knights tied the game 1-1 at 16:27 when Stone scored on the power play. After the draw, Stone sent the puck back to Marner at the blue line, and Marner’s shot was redirected by Stone, who tipped it past Hellebuyck to level the score.

Vegas took a 2-1 lead at 17:57 as Barbashev scored from the far post on a pass from Marner across the front of the net. New Jersey responded quickly, with Gritsyuk tying the game 2-2 at 18:51 after breaking up a Devils rush chance that went back the other way in short order.

In the second period, the Devils regained the lead at 3:49 when Jack Hughes skated through three defenders and scored past Hill to put New Jersey ahead 3-2. Gritsyuk then extended the margin at 18:16 with his second goal of the night, finishing his own rebound to push the Devils to a 4-2 lead late in the period.

Jack Hughes added the final margin when he scored an empty-net goal at 17:09 to make it 5-2. The result handed Vegas a defeat in a stretch where they entered the game at 1-3-1 in their past five.

For the Devils, the win improved their momentum after the Hellebuyck acquisition and demonstrated scoring contributions from multiple lines, with both Gritsyuk and Jack Hughes finishing with two goals each and Luke Hughes adding his first score of the game.