Jack Hughes scored the game-winner at 4:06 of overtime as the New Jersey Devils edged the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Saturday night.
In his first regular-season start against Montreal since being traded to New Jersey on March 8, 2024, Jake Allen made 29 saves for the Devils.
Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Tomas Tatar also scored for New Jersey, which secured its second consecutive victory after a tough stretch of nine losses in 11 games.
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Alexandre Carrier found the net for Montreal, which dropped back-to-back games for the first time since mid-December.
Czech rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, who had won his first five NHL games since being called up on Dec. 27, stopped 40 shots but took his first career loss.
The Devils played their first game without starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, who is sidelined for four to six weeks with an MCL strain sustained in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Boston.
Takeaways
Canadiens: Montreal’s top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky shined, accounting for all three goals and combining for seven points (2 goals, 5 assists).
Devils: New Jersey scored four goals in a game for just the second time in their last 13 contests, showcasing a more balanced offensive effort.
Key Moment
Montreal tied the game at 3 early in the third period when Nick Suzuki won a faceoff back to Kaiden Guhle, who fed Alexandre Carrier for a powerful slapshot that beat Allen. It was Carrier’s first goal since being traded from Nashville on Dec. 18, 2024.
Key Stat
The Devils extended their dominance at the Bell Centre, earning their ninth consecutive victory in Montreal, a streak that dates back to April 1, 2018.
Up Next
The Devils travel to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, while the Canadiens host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
