The New Jersey Devils won a thrilling overtime game inside the Prudential Center on Monday. They defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 to win their fifth game this homestand and second game in a row. They sit at 34-31-2 on the season.
Game Recap
First Period
The Bruins scored the first goal of the game. A Henri Jokiharju shot from the blue line caused a rebound off Jacob Markström’s blocker. The rebound bounced right to David Pastrnak, who put forth a nifty deke and slid the puck through the five hole of Markström.
It took until the 14:31 mark of the period for the Devils to register their first shot on goal. Sparks did fly and a fight broke out between Brenden Dillon and Mark Kastelic. Two very tough customers and a good tilt that got energy in the building.
The fight sparked the Bruins, who extended their lead. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy sprung Viktor Arvidsson with a pass that sent him into the Devils’ zone on an odd-man rush. Arvidsson fed former Devil Pavel Zacha with a cross-ice pass that he buried past Markström to make it 2-0. That’s how the period would end, with the Devils trailing going into the second.
In a period that had no penalties, the Devils did put forth the effort in this period. They controlled the quantity in this period, out-attempting the Bruins 25-18, but got outshot 8-6. Despite being down 2-0, they controlled the expected goals share as well, 0.97-0.72.
Second Period
The Devils responded in the first minute of the period. Jack Hughes sprung Connor Brown, who split the Bruins’ defense and skated in on a breakaway. He beat Jonas Korpisalo glove side to cut the deficit to one. That assist by Jack Hughes gave him his 400th career NHL point in his 414th NHL game.
The Bruins responded with chances of their own from in close, but Markström came up large with a great blocker save. Nine minutes later, the Hughes line went back to work and tied the game.
Once entering the zone, Hughes slid a pass over to Brown, who then found an open Jesper Bratt. Once he received the pass, he blasted a slap shot that ricocheted off the blocker of Korpisalo and went into the net to tie the game at two. The Devils controlling the pace of the period saw them carry a tie into the third period.
The Devils dominated this period and it’s why they got rewarded with two goals. The Devils finished with a Corsi-for percentage of 71.79 and they dominated the expected goals share 1.36-0.45. Scoring chances were 12-4 in their favor.
Third Period
The third period began with a scoring barrage. It began with Paul Cotter to give the Devils the lead, who roofed a shot over Korpisalo after receiving a cross-ice pass. However, the lead did not last long as the Bruins responded quickly. Pastrnak scored his second goal of the night and in filthy fashion. He dangled around Nico Hischier and pushed his way to the front of the net and slid a back handed shot past Jacob Markström.
Discipline was not a calling card for these two teams in the third period, combining for over 20 penalty minutes. It started with a late hit by Kastelic on Cotter, which then led to another fight between Kastelic and Johnathan Kovacevic. Neither team could cash in with the man advantage and this game would get settled in overtime.
Overtime
The Devils got rewarded for their efforts, scoring the game winning goal in overtime thanks to Cotter for his second goal of the game. Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes did a wonderful job setting the tally up.
Wrap Up
What a finish for the Devils wrapping up this home stand. It was a big night for the Devils’ producers. Jack Hughes finished with three assists and recorded his 400th point. Jesper Bratt scored a goal and extended his point streak. Paul Cotter recorded two goals and scored his first career overtime goal.
Game Notes
- Devils line of Brown, Bratt, and Hughes was sensational. They led in shot attempts (26-8), outshot the Bruins when on the ice (13-3), and controlled the expected goal share 84.65% of the time on ice.
- The line of Cody Glass, Lenni Hämeenaho, and Arseny Gritsyuk continued to shine. Together they controlled the expected goal share 79.22% and finished with a Corsi-for percentage of 81.25%. Chemistry is there and so is their effort and impact as a line.
What’s Next
The Devils cross over the bridge to take on the Rangers to kick off their five game road trip on Wednesday.