This is how they do it, because this is how they always do it.
It might not be a widely known fact, but the Devils are again showing themselves to be one of the best teams in hockey, another notch in their whipping pole coming Saturday afternoon when they beat the formerly first-place Penguins, 3-1, at a soldout Prudential Center.
“We’re going through a really tough part of the schedule here,” coach Pete DeBoer said of his 7-1-3 club, now winners of four straight and usurpers of the conference lead. “It’s a grind every day, but we really like how we’re approaching our preparation and keeping our composure and resiliency.”
The only time the Devils have lost in regulation this season was last Saturday in Pittsburgh, when the Penguins (8-4-0) took it to them in a 5-1 win. The two teams immediately boarded flights Saturday and headed back to western Pennsylvania to do it again Suday, a playoff atmosphere created not just from the condensed schedule and the crucial divisional points, but because of the physical intensity inherent in two teams this good meeting this often.
“We know it’s going to be a battle again,” said second-year center Adam Henrique, who scored the game-winner on the power play, 10:56 into the third period. “We got a confident group in here right now and we have to keep that going.”
The game itself was far from a thing of beauty, as the two teams combined to take 22 penalties resulting in 24:12 of man-advantage time. The Penguins explosive power play was hobbled a bit by missing defensive sniper Kris Letang (lower-body), but even with the immense skill they still ran out there, the Devils allowed just one goal in six chances — a Brandon Sutter tip-in with his glove, 1:23 into the first that made it 1-0.
It was the first power-play goal the Devils had given up in 19 chances — now a total 24-for-25 on the penalty kill in the past five games — to go along with their 6-for-21 success rate in that stretch while up a man.
“Our special teams have been great all week,” said Henrique, whose goal was followed up just over two minutes later by Bobby Butler notching another power-play tally. “That’s the difference in the games right now. Everybody is buying in.”
That everybody also includes rookie Stefan Matteau, who in his seventh pro game — gasp! His entry-level contract has begun! — got his first career goal, finishing a great cross-ice pass from Andy Greene at the end of the second to tie it 1-1.
“It’s pretty special, I felt like I was on a cloud,” said Matteau, 18-year-old son of the former Rangers’ hero of the same name. “Hopefully it’s the first of many and it’s great to get the win.”
Yes, the win, something the Devils have been as good as anyone in hockey at getting over the past 20 years. And even though it was the Devils representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup finals last season, their loss of star winger Zach Parise seemed to have degraded their national stock — if such a thing is even possible for a team as perpetually under-the-radar as the Devils.
“I think it’s typical of what it is to be New Jersey,” said captain Bryce Salvador, smiling. “It’s a low-profile team, and a team playing to our best. That’s the way it’s always been and we like it.”
bcyrgalis@nypost.com