Nico Sturm scored late in the first period, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 44 saves to lead the San Jose Sharks to a narrow 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.
Sturm’s third goal of the season came when his backhand shot deflected off New Jersey’s Timo Meier and slipped past Devils goalie Jake Allen with under four minutes left in the opening period. Carl Grundstrom and Henry Thrun were credited with assists on the play.
Blackwood, who spent five seasons with the Devils before being traded to San Jose in June 2023, recorded his 11th career shutout in his first game back at Prudential Center as an opponent.
The loss ended the Devils’ three-game winning streak just a day after their thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the Islanders. Allen finished the game with 26 saves.
Takeaways
Sharks: Rookie forward Macklin Celebrini, last June’s top draft pick, played his first road game and his first against an Eastern Conference team. The 18-year-old has three goals and four points this season after recently returning from a hip injury that kept him sidelined for 12 games.
Devils: Blackwood came up big against his former team, denying Jesper Bratt on a partial breakaway late in the second period and making key saves on Jack Hughes and Brenden Dillon in the third to preserve the lead.
Key Stat
The Sharks improved to 2-5-1 on the road with their first regulation win away from home. Their previous road victory was a 5-4 overtime game against Utah on Oct. 28. The Devils fell to 4-3-2 at home, while they are 6-3-0 on the road.
Up Next
The Sharks continue their road trip Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Devils travel to face the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
