If the New Jersey Devils are going to push for the playoffs after a rocky start, they’ll need standout performances from Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and other key players.
They got just that on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers, despite Devils coach Lindy Ruff being sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test hours before the game.
Jack Hughes scored twice, including the game-winner 2:55 into overtime, and Nico Hischier added a goal and won a crucial faceoff that set up Yegor Sharangovich’s game-tying goal with 32 seconds left in regulation, helping New Jersey edge Edmonton 6-5.
“It’s deflating for a team to give up a goal in the final minute when they have the lead,” Hughes said. “But when you score, it’s big time. We just scored, we’re riding high, and then we had it in OT and won it.”
Rookie Dawson Mercer and Janne Kuokkanen also scored for the Devils, who secured their second consecutive win after a six-game losing streak.
“This is a good team we just played against,” said Alain Nasreddine, who stepped in for Ruff. “Getting two points against a team like that is huge. They’re desperate too. We need to string wins together. We’re at two now and moving on.”
Connor McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto scored twice each for Edmonton, which has lost two straight and is 3-8 in its last 11. Devin Shore also scored for the Oilers.
“It was back and forth all night, and we didn’t find a way to win,” said McDavid, who has 19 goals this season.
Oilers goaltender Mike Smith made 35 saves despite a shaky start. Hughes’ game-winning shot from the top of the left circle seemed to slip past him, despite stopping Hughes on a breakaway earlier in overtime.
“It would have been nice to score on the breakaway, but I got another look in OT,” Hughes said. “I’m trying to shoot more, and the more you shoot, the more the puck can go in the net.”
The Oilers rallied to take a 5-4 lead in the third period with goals from Shore and Yamamoto in a 72-second span. Yamamoto’s goal was contentious as the Devils felt they controlled the puck, which should have stopped play for a delayed penalty.
Nasreddine, who was running the Devils’ bench in Ruff’s absence, challenged the call, but the goal was upheld after a lengthy review.
“I think four of the six goals against us were deflections or bounces that went the right direction,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “The tying goal goes off a stick and in. It’s one of those games where many bounces went the other way; we just have to stick with it.”
McDavid tied the game at 3 with a breakaway goal at 7:57 of the second period, assisted by a pinpoint pass from defenseman Duncan Keith.
National Anthem Mishap
The crowd at the Prudential Center stepped in to sing the Canadian national anthem when the sound cut out, seamlessly supporting the young performer until the audio was restored.
Up Next
- Oilers: Travel to New York to face the Rangers on Monday, the third of a four-game road trip. The game against the Islanders on Saturday was postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the New York team.
- Devils: Head to Washington to face the Capitals on Sunday.
