Robertson brought the Stars to within 4-3 at 12:31, putting a shot off Allen’s stick.
“We knew coming here in the second period that they were going to have a push; they are the second-best team in the League. They are not just going to walk away. We knew they were going to have pushes there. They have good players that make good plays, but I think overall we were pretty calm in the situation, we managed it pretty well,” Bratt said. “I thought our defense was pretty good and especially that third period. I feel we didn’t give them too much other than that one line-rush goal that they had.”
Timo Meier pushed the lead to 5-3 at 6:46 of the third period when he scored top shelf from the right circle with a wrist shot over DeSmith’s left shoulder.
“I think it’s the first time in a while where we’ve been stung like this multiple times. Hopefully we learn from it,” Robertson said. “[We need to] slow down the rush. We saw it against Vegas, there was a lot of rush. Today early, a lot of rush, even worse. So, we clean that up like we did in the second and third, try to limit their breaks, and it’s a good recipe [to win Thursday].”
Mavrik Bourque made it 5-4 at 13:08, deflecting in a backdoor pass from Justin Hryckowian through Allen’s pads as he crashed the net.
Hamilton, who was playing in his 900th NHL game, secured the 6-4 final with an empty-net goal at 19:00.
NOTES: Jack Hughes recorded his fifth consecutive 20-goal season and matched the second-longest run in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history. John MacLean (six from 1985-86 to 1990-91) holds the mark. … It was the first time New Jersey scored four goals in a first period since a 6-5 victory at the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 5, 2023. … Bratt extended his point streak to six games (four goals, five assists). … The Devils scored on their first two shots of the game for the first time since a 7-6 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on April 2, 2022.