The Devils earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
New Jersey didn't just win the shot battle—they won the quality one. The Devils controlled 63% of 5v5 expected goals, 4.17 to 2.44, yet the scoreboard showed only a 5–3 final. The underlying dominance was that lopsided because they squeezed far more danger from fewer chances.
NJD generated 0.082 expected goals per shot while Edmonton managed just 0.043. That efficiency gap explains how the Devils outshot their xG by 0.83 goals while J. Allen in net played near-perfect, posting a 0.900 save percentage—even after accounting for shot quality, he beat his expected save line by 0.56 goals.
The Devils' edge was clearest in high-danger areas, where they held a 6–2 advantage. Despite controlling only 43% of shot attempts (23 to 30), New Jersey bent the entire game to their will. Edmonton had better shooting volume but couldn't sustain offensive pressure against a Devils defense that prioritized threat elimination over keeping the puck.
The turning point arrived in the third period when Curtis Lazar fired a wrist shot from the high slot at 19:57, a moment that crystallized the game's larger story: the team controlling play got the result.
C. Pickard (18 saves on 22 shots, 0.818 SV%) kept Edmonton within striking distance despite the onslaught. On the other side, J. Allen's dominance and the Devils' relentless attack overwhelmed the Oilers' counter-punch attempts. Both teams scored three rushing goals, an unusual symmetry that suggests Edmonton's offensive weapons remained dangerous even in defeat—C. McDavid finished with two assists in 22:25, showcasing his impact regardless of the final margin.