Jesper Bratt scored a power-play goal with 42 seconds left in overtime Monday night for the New Jersey Devils, who squandered a three-goal, second-period lead before edging the Vancouver Canucks 5-4.
Andrei Kuzmenko was whistled for holding Bratt with 1:19 left to set up the game-winning man advantage. Bratt, stationed in the right faceoff circle, took a no-look pass from Jack Hughes and fired a shot well beyond the glove of Canucks goalie Collin Delia.
The Devils have won nine of their past 11 game (9-1-1) and have recorded three of their past four wins via power-play goals in overtime. Each of New Jersey’s past five wins went past regulation.
Hughes and Ondrej Palat had two goals apiece for the Devils, who scored three goals in a 50-second span midway through the second period. Dougie Hamilton had three assists, and Hughes also enjoyed a three-point game. Fabian Zetterlund added two assists, and Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves for the win.
Luke Schenn had a goal and an assist and Kuzmenko, Curtis Lazar and Phillip Di Giuseppe also scored for the Canucks, who were playing for the first time since trading captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders during the All-Star break. Delia recorded 29 saves.
The Canucks opened the scoring just 3:35 into the first, when Schenn sent the puck through the neutral zone to Kuzmenko, who swooped around Hamilton and beat Vanecek with his forehand.
Hamilton helped tie the score late in the period when his pass clipped off the stick of Zetterlund and to Hughes. The All-Star had a step on Elias Pettersson, who slipped trying to intercept the pass, and swooped in on Delia before scoring on the backhand with 2:12 left.
Palat redirected a shot by Hamilton to open the Devils’ three-goal flurry at 9:27 of the second. Delia turned back a pair of shots by Nico Hischier before Palat scored his second goal just 28 seconds later. Twenty-two seconds later, Zetterlund passed into the crease to Hughes, who tucked a shot off the pads of a sprawling Delia.
The Canucks began their comeback with 4:31 left in the second, when Schenn’s shot from just in front of the blue line sailed past Vanecek, who was screened by teammate Jonas Siegenthaler as well as Vancouver center Sheldon Dries.
Delia stopped Palat at point-blank range to begin the sequence that ended with Riley Stillman skating behind the net and dishing to Lazar, who beat Vanecek with 26.1 seconds remaining in the second period.
Di Giuseppe tied the score by collecting his first goal since Feb. 26, 2021, when he capped a two-on-one breakaway at the 6:02 mark of the third.
–Field Level Media
