3 most impressive New Jersey Devils players from 5-2 win over Minnesota Wild feat. Nico Hischier

Modified Mar 30, 2025 02:19 GMT

NHL: New Jersey Devils at Minnesota Wild - Source: Imagn — 3 most impressive New Jersey Devils players from 5-2 win over Minnesota Wild feat. Nico Hischier - Source: Imagn

The New Jersey Devils got back in the win column with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday evening at the Xcel Energy Center. Devils captain Nico Hischier had a stellar game, notching his second career hat trick.

Hischier ran up his goal total to 33 on the season, with Tomar Tatar and Paul Cotter getting the other tallies for the New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile, Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman scored for the Minnesota Wild. With the loss, the Wild are now 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.

So, here’s a look at the three most impressive New Jersey Devils players from their win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday evening.

3 most impressive New Jersey Devils from win over Minnesota Wild

#3 Jesper Bratt

Jesper Bratt had a solid game for the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon. He had two assists in over 19 minutes of ice time. The Swedish forward appeared for 27 shifts as he continued to pad his career highs in assists and points.

Bratt has 86 points in 75 games, topping last year’s career highs of 83 points in 82 games. This season has been a tremendous year for Bratt as he continues to prove he’s one of the best young forwards in the game.

#2 Jacob Markstrom

New Jersey Devils starting netminder Jacob Markstrom was money in the bank against the Minnesota Wild. He stopped 22 of 24 shots, earning his 24th win of the season. The solid performance on Saturday brought his GAA down to 2.50 and raised his SV% to an even .900.

The 35-year-old Markstrom continues to build on great career totals, inching closer to 250 career wins. His efforts on Saturday afternoon earned Markstrom the game’s third star.

#1 Nico Hischier

The Devils captain had a terrific outing against the Wild. He notched his second career hat trick while skating for 21:01 of ice time over 29 shifts. He scored on all three shots on goal he took, registering a power play goal and winning 70% of the face-offs he took on the night.

Hischier has stepped up in the absence of another young star, Jack Hughes, who’s out for the season. Hischier’s performance bodes well as the Devils look to live up to expectations and make a solid postseason run.

Hischier earned the game’s first star on Saturday evening. The Devil will face the Wild again on Monday night at the Prudential Center in the second leg of the two teams’ home-and-home set.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash