Mercer scores 1st hat trick as the Devils sweep Penguins

NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils bounced back from their worst performance of the season with the help a 21-year-old second-year player. The young Devils also put a major dent in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ bid for a 17th straight Stanley Cup playoff berth. Dawson Mercer scored his first career hat trick, Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves and the Devils beat the fading Penguins 5-1 Tuesday night, knocking Pittsburgh out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with four games left in the regular season. New Jersey’s dominating performance came just two days after it was smoked 6-1 by…