The New Jersey Devils, desperate for a win after losing three of their last four games, played with urgency against the Montreal Canadiens and were rewarded with a victory and a rare power-play goal.
Nico Hischier revitalized New Jersey’s struggling power play by scoring with 6:27 left, helping the Devils secure a 4-3 victory on Saturday and handing the Canadiens their fifth consecutive loss.
“We knew we needed this win,” said Devils coach Lindy Ruff, whose team was coming off tough losses to Washington and the Rangers. “More importantly, we focused on taking it one game at a time, and we got this one.”
Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Ondrej Palat also scored for New Jersey, while Nico Daws made 23 saves in his seventh straight start.
The Devils had to rally twice in the second period to keep the game tied at 2-all heading into the third.
Hischier scored the goal on a power play with Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki serving a slashing penalty. Tyler Toffoli made a slick pass to Hischier, who beat Jake Allen despite the goalie getting a piece of the shot.
“I had a lot of speed, so I went on a breakaway and tried to cross the crease. It went in somewhere,” Hischier said of his 19th goal, only the Devils’ third on their last 48 power-play chances. “I don’t know where, but it went in, and that’s what matters.”
The Devils caught a break after the goal when Montreal’s Josh Anderson hit the crossbar. Bratt added an insurance goal three minutes after Hischier’s tally, which proved crucial as Suzuki scored his second goal of the game with 1:51 remaining.
Brendan Gallagher also scored for the Canadiens, who have lost seven of their last eight games. Allen made 20 saves for Montreal, possibly showcasing himself ahead of the trade deadline.
“We’re playing well but not winning, which isn’t good enough in this league,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said.
After outshooting the Devils 10-5 in a scoreless first period, Montreal took two one-goal leads in the second, only to see New Jersey tie the score each time.
Gallagher scored at 3:06 with a shot set up by linemates Jake Evans and Anderson. Meier tied the game a little more than two minutes later, tapping in a pass from defenseman Kevin Bahl, who had two assists.
Suzuki’s first goal came at 13:07 on a counterattack, but Palat tied the game with 2:10 left in the second period, putting the rebound of a Simon Nemec shot past Allen.
“It’s a chance for us to grow as a group and gain some tough experience,” Gallagher said. “It’s tough to go through, but we’ll be stronger once we get out of it. Right now, we must stick together and become stronger on the other side.”
UP NEXT
- Canadiens: Host Arizona on Tuesday night.
- Devils: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday.
