Jake Allen of Fredericton, New Brunswick recorded his 28th National Hockey League shutout on Saturday. He accomplished the feat in a 4-0 New Jersey Devils win over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
Allen made 34 saves overall. He made eight saves in the first period, 14 saves in the second period and 12 saves in the third period. Defenseman Arber Xhekaj of Hamilton, Ontario led the Canadiens with six shots on goal.
Offensively for the Devils, defenseman Dougie Hamilton of Toronto, Ontario, and center Dawson Mercer of Carbonear, Newfoundland picked up assists. For Hamilton, he had a helper on the game-winning goal by Jesper Bratt with six minutes and 17 seconds left in the first period. Jake Hughes, Luke Hughes and Paul Cotter scored the other goals for New Jersey.
So far this season, Allen has a record of nine wins, 11 regulation losses and one loss in extra time with four shutouts. He has a goals against average of 2.56 and a save percentage of .910. His other three shutouts this season came in a 3-0 Devils win over Utah on February 8, in a 3-0 Devils win over Edmonton on November 4, and in a 5-0 Devils win over Philadelphia on January 29. Of Allen’s 28 shutouts, 21 have been with the St. Louis Blues, four with the Devils and three with the Montreal Canadiens.
Allen is second in the NHL this season in shutouts. The only goaltender with more shutouts is Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, who has six.
The Devils are in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They have a record of 31 wins, 20 regulation losses and six losses in extra time for 68 points.
