Jesper Bratt scored on a breakaway just 1:33 into overtime, lifting the New Jersey Devils to a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Ondrej Palat, Timo Meier, and Cody Glass also scored for New Jersey, which snapped a rough stretch by earning just its second win in five games after an earlier eight-game win streak. Jacob Markstrom made 16 saves in the victory.
For Montreal, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Oliver Kapanen provided the offense, while Noah Dobson had two assists. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes finished with 24 saves, but the Canadiens dropped their second straight game, ending a four-game (3-0-1) point streak.
The game featured plenty of late drama. With Markstrom pulled for an extra attacker, Meier tied the contest with 1:10 left in regulation, jamming home a loose puck from the side of the net after a wild scramble in front.
In overtime, Bratt intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, burst free on a breakaway, and slipped a backhander through Dobes’ pads to give New Jersey the win.
Earlier, Glass opened the scoring just 1:53 into the game in his return from injury, sniping a shot from the left circle for his third goal of the season after missing seven games. The Canadiens answered moments later when Dach redirected a point shot from Dobson for his fourth of the season.
Palat put the Devils ahead 2-1 midway through the second, scoring his first of the year after a slick backhand feed from Simon Nemec, who retrieved his own rebound behind the net. Montreal then equalized when Evans slipped a low shot past Markstrom just 59 seconds into the third period, and Kapanen gave the Canadiens their first lead with a rebound goal at 9:27.
However, Meier’s late equalizer forced overtime, setting the stage for Bratt’s heroics.
New Jersey defenseman Dougie Hamilton left the game midway through the second period with an apparent injury and did not return.
Up Next:
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Canadiens: Return home to open a four-game homestand against Utah on Saturday.
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Devils: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
