Dawson Mercer, without a doubt, wanted to make an impression in his first game facing the New Jersey Devils in a Winnipeg Jets uniform.
In a matchup that saw the Devils roll with Jake Allen over Connor Hellebuyck in the latter’s first game in Winnipeg since the blockbuster trade, it was only appropriate that a former Devil would make general manager Sunny Mehta pay dearly for the decision to roll with Allen.
Mercer more than made his presence known. He opened the scoring on Tuesday night. Just under eight minutes into the game, the Jets overwhelmed the Devils on a rush and fired the puck at Allen. It rebounded toward the boards, ended up on Mercer’s stick, and he looked like he would create space. Instead, Mercer turned and fired past Allen to put the Jets up 1-0.
Mercer then potted the game-winner on a third-period power play goal. He found himself in front of the net, and he took a rebound courtesy of Alex Iafallo’s shot at Allen. Once again, Mercer fired, and the puck found the back of the net.
Dawson Mercer Gets Revenge On The New Jersey Devils
When a team trades a player elsewhere after a few down seasons, it is virtually a signal that they have given up on them. Mercer looked like a future staple with the Devils after his 56-point season in 2022-23, but he never eclipsed 50 points again in a Devils uniform.
He failed to score a goal this season and had four assists in 10 games when the Devils traded him and Nico Daws as part of the package to acquire Hellebuyck. Including Tuesday night’s win, Mercer now has three goals and six points in his first nine games with the Jets.
So far, he looks like an excellent fit in Winnipeg. On Tuesday, he was one of the main reasons the Jets had further turned around what initially looked like it was going to be a long season. It is fair to say “one of the main reasons” because credit must also go to another former Devil.
Nico Daws Was Nearly Flawless Against His Old Team
Daws stepped in against a team he knew well and stopped 19 out of 21 shots, good for a .905 save percentage. Daws’ only real blemish came between the 1:14 and 1:58 mark of the second period, when he allowed two goals in under a minute.
It looked as though momentum was shifting and that the Devils, after going down by two goals early, would retake control of the game. But the Jets held the Devils to just 10 shots in the second and third periods — which included Jesper Bratt’s and Cody Glass’s goals in the second period.
That paved the way for Mercer to ultimately put Winnipeg back up in the third period, and the Devils never looked back. Kyle Connor, who also scored earlier in the game at 15:06 in the first, added an empty-netter to ice the game for the Jets.
It was yet another big win for Winnipeg, and sweet revenge for Mercer and Daws. Fans will be left to wonder if the result would have been the same if Hellebuyck took the net as opposed to Allen.
Devils’ Connor Hellebuyck Trade Comes Back to Haunt Them Against Jets