Defenseman Simon Nemec scored his first goal of the season to snap a third-period tie, fueling the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in Newark, N.J.
New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt collected a goal and two assists for the second straight game, and defenseman Brett Pesce added one goal and one assist.
Jake Allen made 31 saves for the Devils, who have won three in a row overall and completed a two-game season sweep of the Oilers.
Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored his NHL-leading 47th goal midway through the second period to extend his career-high point streak to 16 games (12 goals, 12 assists). The 2019-20 Hart Trophy recipient is one game shy of matching Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak for the longest point streak of the season.
Defenseman Evan Bouchard also tallied and captain Connor McDavid notched two assists to push his point streak to nine games (two goals, 11 assists). The three-time Hart Trophy recipient has recorded at least one point in each of his first 16 career games against the Devils.
Stuart Skinner turned aside 19 shots for the skidding Oilers, who have lost eight of their last 11 games.
After Bouchard scored from the point to give Edmonton a 2-1 advantage at 4:18 of the third period, New Jersey tallied twice in a 95-second stretch.
Bratt’s shot from the high slot beat Skinner at 6:50 of the third.
Nemec and Bratt exchanged passes near the blue line before the former unleashed a blast from the point that gave the Devils a 3-2 lead at 8:25.
In the second period, Skinner was unable to secure the puck following a shot from the point, and Pesce alertly charged the net and cleaned up the rebound to open the scoring at 3:58.
A turnover in the Devils’ defensive end led to the Oilers forging a 1-1 tie at 10:05 of the second period. McDavid alertly shoveled the loose puck to Draisaitl, who made no mistake from the left circle.
–Field Level Media
