Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves, and Kyle Palmieri scored late in the third period to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday, snapping the Devils’ five-game losing streak.
Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask, who made 24 saves, was denied his 300th career win as the Bruins dropped their fourth game in their last six outings.
All four matchups between the Devils and Bruins this season have been close, one-goal affairs, with the Devils holding a 3-0-1 record in the series.
Palmieri scored the game’s only goal with 4:37 remaining, just minutes after Wedgewood made a crucial save on a Craig Smith shot during a Bruins power play. Wedgewood, who hadn’t played since January 30th, challenged Smith’s shot from the right circle, keeping the game scoreless.
“Once I got back into it, it felt like home, and it was fun,” Wedgewood said. “I definitely had some nerves I hadn’t felt in a while.”
Boston pulled Rask for an extra attacker in the final 90 seconds, but Wedgewood stood tall, blocking several quality chances to secure his fourth career shutout.
“At the end of the day, we defended well against them,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “We just didn’t do enough on offense.”
After a disappointing, winless five-game homestand that ended with a 6-3 loss to the Rangers on Saturday, the Devils came out with a renewed focus. They clogged up the neutral zone and limited Boston’s scoring opportunities.
“Saturday’s game was a low point for us,” Palmieri admitted. “It was time to look at what makes us successful. As a group, we can be proud of our effort tonight.”
Wedgewood was particularly sharp against David Pastrnak, making two key saves. The first came in the second period when Wedgewood stopped a wrist shot from Pastrnak, who had danced around defenseman Sami Vatanen to get a clear shot. Wedgewood slid across the crease earlier to deny Pastrnak’s close-range attempt after a feed from Charlie McAvoy.
“We played how we needed to,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We got a great effort from all four lines, six defensemen, and of course, Wedgewood.”
The Devils nearly capitalized on a long breakout pass in the second period when Pavel Zacha went in on a semi-breakaway, but Rask’s left pad turned aside his backhand attempt.
Despite two power-play chances in the first period, the Devils were limited to only a few harmless shots.
“They’re not up there in the standings, but they’ve had our number this year,” said Bruins forward Charlie Coyle.
Devils Review Loss to Rangers
Ahead of the game, Ruff had his team review a video of their loss to the Rangers.
“Today was all video, all review, all real hard honesty about how poorly we played,” Ruff said. “Those meetings are 95% head coach because, ultimately, I feel responsible for how the team played. That’s on me.”
Carlo Update
Cassidy provided an update on defenseman Brandon Carlo, who was injured after being hit into the glass by Washington’s Tom Wilson on Friday night. According to Cassidy, Carlo, who had to be taken to the hospital, is “feeling better” but will be out for a while. Wilson was suspended for seven games by the league.
Up Next
- Devils: Visit the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in the second game of their three-game road trip.
- Bruins: Head to Long Island to face the New York Islanders. The Bruins have lost all three meetings against the Islanders this season.
