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In his first appearance for the New Jersey Devils, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 16 of 17 shots to help secure a 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, was traded by the Winnipeg Jets four days earlier after being suspended for failing to report to training camp. The win was his first since April 9, a 3-2 decision at St. Louis.
Nico Hischier, the Devils' captain in his 10th season with the club, tallied two goals to pace the offense. He opened the scoring at 2:41 of the first period and struck again 38 seconds into the second. A Dallas challenge for goaltender interference against Timo Meier on the first goal was denied. Hischier now leads the team with seven goals and has recorded two multi-goal games.
Jesper Boqvist extended the lead to 3-0 midway through the second period. After Justin Hryckowian's deflection brought Dallas within two at 16:08 of the second, Luke Hughes responded just 28 seconds later. Jack Hughes also found the back of the net for New Jersey, which has now won four consecutive games.
For Dallas, the loss snapped a five-game winning streak. Casey DeSmith, making his third start of the season, made 22 saves; he had allowed only two goals in each of his previous outings. The five goals against are a season high for the Stars, who entered the game leading the NHL with a 1.68 goals-against average.
The game was Dallas's fourth in a season-long six-game homestand and marked the beginning of a road back-to-back for New Jersey. Stars defenseman Kyle Capobianco was helped off the ice five minutes into the third period with an apparent leg injury and did not return.
Key Analysis
Hellebuyck's immediate impact in net provides a significant boost for the Devils, who have now won four straight. Hischier's continued scoring prowess and the balanced attack—with contributions from both Hughes brothers and Boqvist—demonstrate New Jersey's depth. Meanwhile, Dallas's high-scoring defense was uncharacteristically porous, allowing a season-high five goals. The injury to Capobianco could further challenge the Stars' blue line moving forward.
Originally reported by headtopics.