Devils 4, Ducks 1. Mantha restores the cushion before Hughes finishes it.

Anaheim made it a one-goal game with 11:40 left. Anthony Mantha kept it that way for only another 5:07. His third-period goal restored New Jersey's two-goal lead Thursday, and Jack Hughes added an empty-net finish as the Devils beat the Ducks 4-1.

Nico Daws stopped 16 of 17 shots. New Jersey finished ahead 29-17 in shots on goal and earned its fourth win in five games. The final margin looks comfortable. The third-period sequence explains why it became comfortable again after Anaheim threatened to erase the early work.

An early lead, then the necessary response

Arseny Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first, with Jesper Bratt and Hughes assisting. Nico Hischier made it 2-0 on the power play at 19:19, assisted by Luke Evangelista and Bratt. Neither team scored in the second period. Bratt's two first-period assists helped give New Jersey a lead it could defend rather than chase.

Tim Washe changed the terms at 8:20 of the third, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Mantha answered at 13:27, with Brett Pesce getting the assist. That goal mattered independently of the later empty-netter: it required Anaheim to recover two goals again, with only 6:33 remaining.

Hughes scored into the empty net with seven seconds left, finishing with a goal and an assist. Ducks goaltender Ville Husso had kept Anaheim close with 25 saves on 28 shots faced. The final goal came after Anaheim had pulled him for an extra attacker.

For the Devils, the useful takeaway is the response after the lead narrowed. They had built an advantage in the first period and protected it through the second. Mantha's goal gave the closing minutes a different shape, turning a one-shot game back into a two-goal chase.