Dougie Hamilton netted a power-play goal in overtime, and Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves to secure a 2-1 victory for the New Jersey Devils over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier assisted on Hamilton’s 11th-season goal.
Pittsburgh’s Marcus Pettersson initially appeared to have scored the game-winner in overtime, but the goal was disallowed due to a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty against the Penguins.
The Devils have now won two consecutive home games in overtime, having previously defeated the Rangers 4-3 on Jan. 7 in a similar fashion.
Hughes started the scoring just 56 seconds into the game, beating Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry on the glove side for his 30th goal of the season, with Hamilton providing the assist.
In his fourth season with New Jersey, the 21-year-old Hughes became the second player in Devils history to reach the 30-goal milestone before turning 22. Brendan Shanahan first achieved the feat on March 29, 1990.
Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby tied the game at 6:25 of the first period with his 22nd goal of the season—and the 539th of his career—assisted by Jake Guentzel and defenseman Jeff Petry. Jarry made 23 saves in the game.
Crosby leads the Penguins with 54 points in his 18th NHL season. He has accumulated 39 goals and 49 assists in 88 career games against the Devils, marking his third-highest point total against a single franchise (52 against Philadelphia and 40 against the Islanders). Washington’s Alex Ovechkin is the only active player with 40 or more goals against three franchises, having done so against eight teams.
NOTES
- The Devils are 17-10-2 against the Eastern Conference and 9-5-2 against division opponents.
- The Devils scratched forwards Alexander Holtz, Fabian Zetterlund, and defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk.
- The Penguins scratched defensemen Ty Smith, Jan Rutta, and forward Kasperi Kapanen.
- The Devils won the previous meeting 4-2 on Dec. 30 in Pittsburgh. The teams will meet again on Feb. 18 in Pittsburgh and Apr. 4 in Newark.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
- Penguins: Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
