Jacob Markstrom turned aside 25 shots and the New Jersey Devils ended a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton both scored in the second period to give New Jersey control, while Nico Hischier sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the closing seconds.
Markstrom was close to earning a shutout before Pavel Buchnevich scored with 1:18 remaining, capitalizing with Jordan Binnington pulled for an extra attacker.
Binnington, appearing in his first NHL game since leading Canada to the Olympic final, made 30 saves in the loss.
Meier opened the scoring at 5:37 of the second period with a wrist shot from the right circle, marking his 16th goal of the season. The Swiss forward has three goals in his last six NHL games and recently tallied three goals and four assists in five Olympic contests.
Hamilton extended the lead on a power play with just 16 seconds left in the second, snapping a shot from the slot. Jack Hughes earned his 27th assist on the play. Hughes, who scored the overtime winner for the United States in the Olympic final in Milan, also took his first penalty of the season — a delay-of-game call in the third after sending the puck over the glass.
The victory gave the Devils a much-needed boost, snapping their skid and regaining some momentum.
Up Next
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Devils: Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
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Blues: Travel to Minnesota to face the Wild on Sunday night.
