Damon Severson had hoped his first NHL overtime goal would be memorable, but not like this.
The Devils defenseman accidentally backhanded the puck into his net with 2:22 left in overtime, handing the Toronto Maple Leafs a 5-4 victory over New Jersey on Friday night. The win marked Toronto’s season-best sixth consecutive victory.
Severson’s mishap came after Toronto’s William Nylander lost control of the puck while driving toward the New Jersey net. The 25-year-old Severson, in an attempt to clear the puck, inadvertently sent it past his goaltender, Mackenzie Blackwood. Nylander was credited with the goal.
“I was just trying to protect the puck,” Severson said, visibly disappointed as teammates consoled him. “I wasn’t trying to do anything fancy. Just protect it and get it out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, I hit it into our net.”
Nylander initiated the play by stealing the puck from Jack Hughes. The victory extended Toronto’s longest winning streak since November 2017.
“It’s nice to have some puck luck and get the bounces,” said Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who made 24 saves. “Earlier in the season, we weren’t getting those breaks, but tonight, we created our luck.”
Zach Hyman, Ilya Mikheyev, Kasperi Kapanen, and John Tavares also scored for Toronto. However, the game took a frightening turn in the third period when Mikheyev suffered a deep cut on his right wrist from Hughes’ skate.
“It was scary to see that much blood,” Tavares said. “Mikheyev was having a great game, and our thoughts are with him.” Mikheyev was taken to a hospital for observation.
Nico Hischier, Nikita Gusev, Kyle Palmieri, and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, while Blackwood made 32 saves.
“It’s tough to swallow, but mistakes happen,” Palmieri said. “Some nights, you’re the hero, and others, not so much. It’s about coming back ready the next day.”
Tavares tied the game at 4 with 11:45 left in the third period, tapping in a power-play goal from Blackwood’s crease after a setup by Nylander.
The teams traded seven goals in a high-energy first two periods. Palmieri and Bratt scored back-to-back goals just over three minutes apart to give the Devils a 4-3 lead.
Palmieri notched his 15th goal of the season with a point-blank shot after stealing the puck from Tyson Barrie. He then capitalized on a center-ice turnover by Kapanen, setting up Bratt’s go-ahead goal at 10:11.
Hyman and Mikheyev scored 19 seconds apart late in the first period to give the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead. Gusev tied it early in the second period during a two-man advantage, and while Kapanen briefly put Toronto back in front, the Devils answered with two goals for their second lead of the night. Hischier had opened the scoring with the game’s first goal.
Game Notes:
- The teams will meet two more times this season, both in Toronto (Jan. 14, Mar. 17).
- Toronto fired 19 shots in the first period, just shy of its season-high of 26 in a single period.
- The Maple Leafs are 12-4 since Sheldon Keefe took over as head coach.
- The Devils are 2-6 in overtime this season, while the Maple Leafs are 5-4.
UP NEXT:
- Maple Leafs: Return home to host the Rangers on Saturday night.
- Devils: Travel to Ottawa to face the Senators on Sunday night.
