Paul Cotter netted the decisive shootout goal and Jake Allen stopped 33 of 34 shots through regulation and overtime as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Saturday night, taking sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Jesper Bratt also scored in the shootout for New Jersey, while Allen denied both Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby to secure the win. The veteran goaltender was stellar throughout, anchoring a Devils team that spent much of the night on the defensive against an aggressive Pittsburgh attack.
The Penguins’ Arturs Silovs made 23 saves but continued to struggle in shootouts — he has now allowed seven goals on eight attempts this season.
Rookie Arseny Gritsyuk provided New Jersey’s lone goal in regulation, capitalizing on a miscue by Kris Letang to score with 57.5 seconds left in the first period. The goal was Gritsyuk’s third of the season and came after the Devils killed off early pressure from the Penguins.
Pittsburgh tied it midway through the second period when a shot from former Devil Ryan Graves deflected off Ondrej Palat and slipped past Allen. From there, the goaltenders took over — Allen made several key stops to preserve the tie, including denying Evgeni Malkin on a breakaway. At the same time, Silovs robbed Jack Hughes with a spectacular glove save to keep it level.
In the shootout, Cotter beat Silovs with a smooth forehand finish to give New Jersey its second straight win following Thursday’s overtime victory over Montreal. The Devils’ defense held firm late, even after Nico Hischier briefly left the game in the third period after taking a puck to the face.
Anthony Mantha and Brenden Dillon dropped the gloves in the first period after Dillon leveled Thomas Novak with a heavy open-ice hit, adding to the game’s physical tone.
Up Next:
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Penguins: Return home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday before heading to Sweden for a two-game set against Nashville.
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Devils: Host the New York Islanders on Monday night in No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer’s first career game in Newark.
