Yegor Sharangovich and Dawson Mercer each scored in the second period as the New Jersey Devils won their third consecutive game, defeating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Saturday.
Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier contributed assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves, helping the Devils maintain their strong performance following an 0-2 start.
“I love the group we got and the guys we brought in, and I think everyone’s grown from last year, and we all got better,” Mercer said. “Obviously, when you’re on a three-game winning streak, the mood in the room is happy every day. You look forward to coming in here, going on the ice with the guys, and when we go out there and perform like that, it’s obviously a fun day at the job.”
Kevin Labanc scored the lone goal for the Sharks, and Kaapo Kahkonen made 34 saves. San Jose has now lost six of their last seven games in regulation.
“We were just too slow,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “We could have played a lot faster. We could’ve been a little more alert, and we certainly could’ve been more physical.”
The Devils opened the scoring for the fourth time in five games when Sharangovich found the net at 13:21 of the second period. Sharangovich stole the puck from Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and beat Kahkonen with a backhand shot over the left pad.
“What a great goal,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “I mean, you watch the goal, you watch the move. That’s what you want to see when you get that opportunity. They had a big turnover, and we took advantage of it.”
Mercer extended the lead to 2-0 on a power play about two minutes later. Hischier set up Mercer, whose initial shot was stopped by Kahkonen, but he managed to put the rebound over the glove at 15:43.
“Nico’s a playmaker, and he found me below the goal line,” Mercer said. “Lucky enough I got the rebound, (had) the chance come back to me, had another shot at it, and put it away. It was a great feeling, obviously, for us.”
Mercer’s goal ended an 0-for-13 power-play drought for the Devils, who had eight consecutive unsuccessful man-advantages at home. It also marked the first power-play goal San Jose had conceded after 22 straight kills this season.
Labanc, a native of New York City who played youth hockey in New Jersey, scored his first goal of the season just 32 seconds later. He took a stretch pass from defenseman Scott Harrington, leading an odd-man rush, and beat Blackwood on the stick side.
“I skated down and was thinking shot-pass and thought I may as well let this one go. I went blocker-side, so it felt nice to get that one,” Labanc said.
Kahkonen kept the Sharks in the game with 18 saves in the second period, including impressive stops on Miles Wood and Jack Hughes.
“He played really well,” Quinn said of Kahkonen. ”(He) made some huge saves, particularly in the second period, when we were sloppy and they had chances. He was very good; gave us a chance.”
Hischier had a goal disallowed in the second period for kicking the puck into the net past Kahkonen.
Game notes
Labanc’s goal was his first in 14 games, dating back to Nov. 22, 2021. New Jersey successfully killed both of San Jose’s power plays and has now killed 14 of 15 this season (93.3 percent). After allowing two second-period goals, the Sharks have been outscored 16-4 in the second period this season.
Next Up:
- Sharks: At Philadelphia on Sunday night.
- Devils: Host Washington on Monday.
